Russet Bush Warbler
Locustella mandelli
This mouse-like bush warbler skulks deeply in thickets and shrubbery, seldom exposing more than one part of its body at once except when singing. Brown overall with few distinguishing features; lighter, warmer brown overall than Brown Bush Warbler, with a whiter throat and belly. Favors fairly open brushy edge habitats with tangles and thickets of dense vegetation; can be found in overgrown cultivation and field edges. Belts out a song starting with a buzzing introductory note, which is followed by a series of paired ticks.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Locustella mandelli
- Authority
- (Brooks, WE, 1875)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Locustellidae
- Genus
- Locustella
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Vertical migration
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Bird Calls
Other Birds

Cinereous Harrier
Circus cinereus
Fairly common in open country of Patagonia, often near lakes and marshes; uncommon and local northward. Male silvery gray overall with fine rusty barring below. Female and immature are grayish brown above; underparts barred on female, streaked on immature. All plumage have white rump band. Usually seen in flight, hunting low over open country with wings held in a shallow V, tilting side to side like a Turkey Vulture. Perches on ground and fence posts, not in trees or up high.

Mascarene Petrel
Pseudobulweria aterrima
An entirely dark petrel that usually has a cross-like shape in flight. Note the large, square head, the thick bill, and the long rear. Critically endangered; nests on cliffs and crevices on the island of Reunion and feeds in the surrounding ocean. The vocalization is an eerie scream, given at night around breeding sites. Separation from several similar species is tricky. Most similar to Great-winged Petrel, and distinguished only by subtle differences, including the heavier head and bill, longer neck and tail, more rounded wing, and less explosive flight. Also similar to Jouanin’s Petrel, but identified by larger size, longer wings that are held straighter, and shorter rear. Separated from Wedge-tailed Shearwater by the much heavier bill, and from dark-morph Trindade Petrel by the lack of a silver flash in the underwing.

Palau Scops-Owl
Otus podarginus
A reddish-brown owl with a large rounded head, pale whitish eyebrows, and no ear tufts. Upperparts spotted with black-tipped white spots. Legs unfeathered and whitish. Found in a wide range of forest, mostly in lowlands, frequently near villages. No other owls occur on Palau. Voice includes a long series of deep “whok” notes rising in intensity, finishing in a sharp “quirt-quirt” whistle.
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