Bird Guide

Discover 20 bird species

Fraser's Eagle-Owl

Ketupa poensis

Medium-sized rufous-brown owl, with long ear tufts. Note the dark eyes, rufous face, and cleanly barred underparts. Found in and around humid forest. The main vocalization is a long, haunting whistle that first rises, then falls and fades. Secondary vocalization is a low, rapid, pulsating series of hoots. Similar in shape to Akun Eagle-Owl, but has dark rather than yellow eyes, more rufous coloration, and cleaner markings on the underparts. Also similar to Spotted Eagle-Owl, but much more richly colored, with darker eyes.

Yemen Warbler

Curruca buryi

Unusual and distinctive warbler of the southwest Arabian highlands. Gray-brown, with a darker cap, paler throat, and pale eye. Found in dry montane scrub and woodland, including juniper and acacia woodland. Generally skulking, but will sometimes come into the open. The song is a loud and distinctive, but variable, series of mix of musical warbled notes. Scratchy, scolding calls are often given on their own, but can also be mixed into the song. Similar in overall shape and size to several other warblers, but identified by the browner overall coloration, with more dusky underparts. Further separated from confusion species like Arabian Warbler by the pale eye.

Costa Rican Swift

Chaetura fumosa

Smallest swift in most of range. All dark gray with contrasting pale rump and paler throat, both of which can be difficult to see in many viewing conditions. A good look at the rump is necessary for a firm visual identification, otherwise Vaux’s Swift can look very similar. However, in some parts of its range (the Osa Peninsula, for example) this is the only small Chaetura swift. Makes twittering calls similar to many other swifts. Usually found in flocks over forests and more open areas.

Dimorphic Jewel-babbler

Ptilorrhoa geislerorum

A medium-sized, long-tailed, ground-dwelling bird of lowland and foothill forest. White throat and upper chest, bordered by a thin black line across the chest and a broad black band through the eye. Largely replaces the very similar Blue Jewel-babbler geographically, but Dimorphic female has unique brown plumage with a pale brown stripe behind the eye and male has a gray crown. Overlaps with Chestnut-backed but that species is both blue and brown. Song, a monotonously repeated, medium-pitch note.

Malayan Crested Fireback

Lophura rufa

Flamboyant dark pheasant of tropical lowland rainforest, typically in wetter areas. Male is glossy blue-black with a tufted crest, electric blue facial skin, blood-red back and white tail. Female is warm chocolate brown with pale-edged feathers on the underparts. Forages singly or in small groups on the forest floor. Shy but has become habituated in some places. Larger than Malayan Crestless Fireback and Salvadori’s Pheasant with blue rather than red facial skin and red rather than gray legs. Gives guttural “chuckit!” or soft ”weep” calls. Males also give a wing-whirring display.

Rufous-throated Honeyeater

Conopophila rufogularis

Small honeyeater with a distinctive red-brown throat patch, white underparts, gray head, brown back, and yellow wing patch. Juveniles lack the rusty throat patch but may have traces of reddish coloration. Typically found in forest and woodland next to rivers or water sources. Endemic to northern Australia.

Itatiaia Spinetail

Asthenes moreirae

Small, plain, long-billed and long-tailed spinetail with a restricted range. Found in bamboo thickets and clearings in montane forests with grass and shrubs where it forages in the understory. Note the rufous chin contrasting with a dull-brown body. The song is a high-pitched ascending and descending trill.

White-browed Babbler

Pomatostomus superciliosus

Large, conspicuous songbird with long decurved bill, dark mask, whitish eyebrow, brownish crown, and dark eye. White throat and breast extends to belly; lower belly and undertail dark. Forages mostly on the ground in noisy flocks, in dry open woodlands across southern Australia.

Tessmann's Flycatcher

Fraseria tessmanni

A plain, strong-billed rainforest flycatcher that is dark gray and black on the upperparts and pale below. Sometimes shows a vague darker gray band across the breast. Scarce and local in rainforest clearings, secondary forest, overgrown plantations, and forest edge, mostly at the middle levels. Most similar to Dusky-blue Flycatcher, but has much paler underparts. Also similar to Cassin’s Flycatcher, but has paler underparts, and not strongly associated with water. Similar in coloration to Little Gray Flycatcher, but much larger and paler below. The song is pretty and thrush-like: a mixture of whistles and trills given at a conversational rhythm. 

Slate-colored Coot

Fulica ardesiaca

Widespread, rather large but “average” coot of lakes, marshes, and river mouths; mainly in Andes and adjacent Pacific coastal lowlands. Despite the name, its plumage is no more slate-colored than other coots. Adult comes in three types: most Andean birds have a dark red forehead shield and yellowish bill; elsewhere, rounded forehead shield can be white or pale yellow with a whitish bill. Legs greenish, appreciably shorter than legs of Giant Coot, which occurs alongside Slate-colored at some lakes. Juvenile has a variably grizzled whitish face and throat.

Glacier Finch

Idiopsar speculifer

A fat and rather “neckless” finch (actually a tanager) of bogs or adjacent rocky slopes in the high Andes. Found in pairs or small groups, feeding on the ground. Note the overall blue-gray plumage with a large white crescent under the eyes; white wing patch can be hidden at rest but shows as white flash in flight. Compare with smaller White-throated Sierra Finch.

Palmchat

Dulus dominicus

A small but conspicuous noisy species found in a variety of open and disturbed habitats that contain palms; often found in small flocks high in palm trees. Its appearance is unique within its range; note its dark brown upperparts combined with heavily streaked white underparts, a pale thickset bill, and a brilliant red eye. Vocalizations include a wide variety of buzzy, squeaky, and whistled notes.

Eurasian Nuthatch

Sitta europaea

Classic nuthatch, with a long pointed bill, short tail, and black mask; color of underparts varies across range, from peachy-buff to snow-white and orangish. Usually seen as singles or pairs, hitching along trunks and larger branches in deciduous and mixed woodlands and gardens, or visiting bird feeders. Acts a bit like a mini-woodpecker, but does not use its tail for support and sometimes goes downwards head-first. Often feeds in the canopy, but also feeds on the ground where seeds have fallen. Easily overlooked until rather loud ringing calls are learned. Compare with other nuthatches where ranges overlap.

Broad-billed Roller

Eurystomus glaucurus

A small, dark, rufous-cinnamon roller with a chunky yellow bill. In flight it resembles a small falcon, but note its deep wingbeats and undulating flight. Pairs are partial migrants with complex movements; found within savanna, broadleaved woodland, riverine forest, and rainforest edge. It sits on tall bare snags and prefers to hawk insects above the canopy. Its distinctive calls include harsh, scratchy “grrrrrr” and “k-weeek, k-weeek” notes. The similar Blue-throated Roller is smaller, has a blue throat, and is browner under the tail.

White-starred Robin

Pogonocichla stellata

Beautiful little forest robin. There are white “stars” in front of the eye and on the bottom of the throat, which are usually hidden. Most subspecies have a black-and-yellow tail in which the black forms a bold “T”. Found in the understory of moist forest, exclusively montane forest away from South Africa. A shy and inconspicuous bird that is usually detected by voice. Song is a quiet and simple series of whistled notes. Also gives low, raspy calls, and a repeated up-and-down series of piping whistles. Distinctive when seen well.

Hooded Robin

Melanodryas cucullata

Large Australian robin. Male strikingly black and white, with a completely black head; black upperwing has bright white wing panels. Female gray above, pale below, with pale wing panels. Similar but smaller Jacky-winter lacks the wing pattern and waves its tail from side to side. Perches prominently, launching down to catch prey on the ground. Often in pairs. Inhabits open, arid habitats in inland areas throughout Australia.

Great Crested Grebe

Podiceps cristatus

Fairly common on lakes, reservoirs, and along larger rivers, mainly with bordering reeds where it builds a floating nest platform. In winter sometimes seen on inshore ocean waters (mainly in freezing weather). Breeding pairs are territorial, but flocks form in winter. Large, elegant, and long-necked grebe. Breeding plumage has beautiful tawny cheeks and black crests (often held flat). In nonbreeding plumage, face and neck bright white with dark line through eye.

Chinstrap Penguin

Pygoscelis antarcticus

Classy-looking medium-sized penguin. Slender “chinstrap” is unique and unmistakable, but can be difficult to see at a distance; instead, note this species’ white face, dark bill, and cleanly flat-bottomed dark cap. Breeds in colonies on rocky terrain in the Subantarctic, particularly in the southern Atlantic. Winters as far north as far southern Argentina. Gives loud, hoarse barking and braying calls on the breeding grounds.

Blue-tailed Bee-eater

Merops philippinus

Elegant, slender bird of open country, frequently seen in flight or perched on exposed snags or telephone wires. Adult green overall, with blue tail, thin black mask, and rufous throat; bright rufous underwings visible in flight. Juvenile similar but paler, with tannish throat and shorter tail, lacking the adult's elongated central tail feathers. Flying bird has distinctive shape, with broad, sharply pointed wings, long tail, and long bill. Nests colonially in sandbanks. Voice a sweet, clipped “cheer-it,” sometimes given in series.

Cebu Boobook

Ninox rumseyi

A medium-sized owl of wooded areas on the island of Cebu. Head and upperparts dark brown and indistinctly barred. Underparts orange-brown. Shows some white speckling in the wing, a pale bar behind the shoulder, bright yellow eyes, and white eyebrows forming an arching V-shape. Note the large white throat patch. Unmistakable. No other owls occur in its range. Song is a distinctive “wip! Doo-wip! Doh” with the middle notes falling then rising, and the final note falling. Also gives single “wip” notes and rasps.