Papyrus Yellow-Warbler

Large blue and yellow tanager with a thinner bill than other similar species. Males are mostly blue with yellowish edges to the wing feathers and tail. Females are duller and grayer overall. Note the diagnostic yellow shoulder on both sexes. Found in the canopy of humid forests and forest edges, where it often accompanies mixed-species flocks or gathers in single species groups of up to 25 individuals.

Male is distinctive, small and largely black with fine white streaks on underparts, a white chest spot, a short white brow, and a pale base to undertail. Female is olive above and buffy below, with a more richly colored throat and a short, bold buffy brow. Immature male resembles female, but has streaked underparts and rufous-edged feathers on upperparts. Singles and pairs inhabit lower understory of lowland forest. Confined to Damar island. Thin, high-pitched calls include “tzit-tzit-tzit.” Gives a short song, “tzeee-tzeeee-tzooo” or “tzeeee-tzoooo,” the first note or two higher in pitch.

A large-bodied, small-headed, black gamebird perfectly lined with rows of hundreds of bluish-white spots. It has a ridiculous-looking plumed “toupee” above the naked face, which features an ivory-colored bill and a blood-red eye. The facial skin color varies geographically, and can be mostly blue-gray with small patches of red and white, or predominantly blue-gray with a large white patch on the back of the neck. A broad band around the base of the neck is unspotted black. It prefers forest and thickets, where it forages on the ground for berries, seeds, and other plant matter. The similar Helmeted Guineafowl differs by its lack of feathered crest and its having a bone-like casque on top of the head instead. The alarm call is a series of rattling, agitated notes that speed up and slow down; similar to the call of Helmeted Guineafowl, but with a tinnier quality.