Eastern Crested Guineafowl
Guttera pucherani
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 a distinctive ivory-colored bill and a blood-red eye. The bare facial skin is red on the face and blue on the neck. 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 a feathered crest, 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.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Guttera pucherani
- Authority
- (Hartlaub, 1861)
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- Numididae
- Genus
- Guttera
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Magnificent Bird-of-Paradise
Diphyllodes magnificus
A medium-sized bird of foothill and lower montane forest. Male has bottle green chest and yellow from the back of the neck, both of which it can erect into elaborate ornamentation during the display at a court on the ground. Long, flattened, curly tail feathers reflect blue. The female is brown above and barred below. Male is unmistakable. Female Magnificent is smaller than female parotias and lophorinas, and larger than female King, and has a blue bill and stripe behind the eye. Male gives a series of downslurred “joo!” notes, a loud ringing “jip!” or harsh rasps.
Friendly Bush Warbler
Locustella accentor
Though frequently derided for the reputed inaccuracy of its name, this mouse-like bird can prove quite confiding. It is, however, generally quite difficult to see in dense undergrowth; best detected by its song, a series of three piercing whistles, the last of which is long and grating. If seen, note dark brown plumage, speckled gray throat and chest, and long broad tail. Found on only a handful of forested mountaintops in Borneo’s Crocker Range, where it skulks about in tangled mossy areas with extensive fallen debris.
African Sacred Ibis
Threskiornis aethiopicus
Striking white ibis with a naked black head and neck and black legs and feet. White wings framed by black wingtips and trailing edges. Can be encountered in almost any open habitat from wild wetlands to farmland and rubbish dumps. Originally restricted to sub-Saharan Africa, but now established in Taiwan and Europe, with feral colonies in France, Italy, and Spain.
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