The supercilium is a plumage feature found on the heads of some bird species. It is a stripe which runs from the base of the bird's beak above its eye, finishing somewhere towards the rear of the bird's head.[1] Also known as an "eyebrow",[1] it is distinct from the eyestripe, which is a line that runs across the lores, and continues behind the eye.[2] Where a stripe is present only above the lores, and does not continue behind the eye, it is called a supraloral stripe or simply supraloral.[1] On most species which display a supercilium, it is paler than the adjacent feather tracts.[3]
The colour, shape or other features of the supercilium can be useful in bird identification. For example, the supercilium of the dusky warbler, an Old World warbler species, can be used to distinguish it from the very similar Radde's warbler. The dusky warbler's supercilium is sharply demarcated, whitish and narrow in front of the eye, becoming broader and more buffy towards the rear, whereas that of the Radde's warbler is diffusely defined, yellowish and broadest in front of the eye, becoming narrower and more whitish toward the rear.[4] The supercilium of the northern waterthrush, a New World warbler, differs subtly from that of the closely related (and similarly plumaged) Louisiana waterthrush. The Louisiana has a bicoloured supercilium which widens significantly behind the eye, while the northern has an evenly buffy eyebrow which is either the same width throughout or slightly narrower behind the eye.[5]
A split supercilium divides above the lores. In some species, such as the jack snipe, the divided stripes reconnect again behind the eye.[6] In others, such as the broad-billed sandpiper, the divided stripes remain separate.[7]
A supercilium drop is a feature found on some pipits;[8] it is a pale spot on the rear of the ear-coverts which, although separated from the supercilium by an eyestripe, can appear at some angles to be a downward continuation of the supercilium.
^ abcDunn and Alderfer (2006), p. 10
^Dunn and Alderfer (2006), p. 11
^Kaufman, Kenn (2011) A Field Guide to Advanced Birding ISBN 978-0-547-24832-5, page 51
^Mullarney, Killian; Svensson, Lars; Zetterström, Dan; Grant, Peter J (1999). Collins Bird Guide. London: HarperCollins. pp. 306–307. ISBN 0-00-219728-6.
^Dunn and Alderfer (2006), p. 394.
^Hayman, Marchant and Prater (1986), p. 359
^Hayman, Marchant and Prater (1986), p. 383
^Harris, Alan; Tucker, Laurel; Vinicombe, Keith (1989). The MacMillan Field Guide to Bird Identification. Grange Books. p. 158. ISBN 1-85627-641-4.
The supercilium is a plumage feature found on the heads of some bird species. It is a stripe which runs from the base of the bird's beak above its eye...
flava Linnaeus, 1758 – blue-headed wagtail Blue-grey head with white supercilium and malar stripe in males, much washed with buffish green in females...
and cheek with no supercilium and coppery brown wings. In non-breeding season, this population has a short and narrow white supercilium and the tail is...
throat and supercilium and a reddish breast band. The female has a heavily streaked brown back and brown face with a whitish supercilium. She resembles...
distinct tail markings, T. l. mesophilus has paler underparts and a whiter supercilium, and T. l. tropicalis is darker than all races, and contains heavier...
medium-sized warbler with a brown, streaked back and wings and a distinct pale supercilium. Sedge warblers are migratory, crossing the Sahara to get from their...
In breeding plumage, adults are grey-brown above, with a short white supercilium and warmer brown rump. There are rufous fringes on the closed wings and...
c. collybita, being grey-washed olive-green above with a pale yellow supercilium, and underparts whiter than in P. c. collybita, but it has very similar...
have paler upper parts and a stronger face-pattern, including a pale supercilium. The song of the male nightingale has been described as one of the most...
distinctive black tail with red side patches. It has a strong white supercilium. Despite the distinctive appearance of the males, recent genetic studies...
have brown eyes and the front of the face is light. There is a white supercilium. They have thick blue-grey legs and a stout bill. Western birds are generally...
It is russet brown above, paler buff-brown below and has a cream buff supercilium. The sexes are alike. The species was once lumped with Troglodytes hiemalis...
there are two pale lateral crown-stripes, which are separated from the supercilium by an area of dark plumage. Jack snipes are migratory, spending the non-breeding...
underparts. It has two white wingbars, a black eye stripe and a white supercilium. The head crest, orange in the male and yellow in the female, is displayed...
on the flanks. Adults have a white head and neck with a broad black supercilium that terminates in the slender, dangling crest, and bluish-black streaks...
underparts, although some southeastern forms also show a white forehead and supercilium. S. e. sinensis and S. e. formosana, of China and Taiwan respectively...
Old World flycatcher family, Muscicapidae. Both sexes have a strong supercilium, brownish upper parts mottled darker, a pale throat and breast, a pale...
brachycephaly and dome-shaped head, with notably developed rugosity of the supercilium in the man and its absence in the woman. For the man, an average width...
usually have green and yellow plumage tones: for example, yellow in the supercilium and on the sides of the breast, green tones in the mantle and yellow...
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