Churring Cisticola

Extremely rare, large, elongated brown warbler with a long slender bill. Fairly similar in appearance to West Himalayan, Chinese, Baikal, and Spotted Bush Warblers, but breeding ranges do not overlap. Like other bush warblers, typically very skulking and furtive, preferring to run instead of fly when threatened. Emerges onto small bushes to sing, producing a dull clicking that would underwhelm a grasshopper. Breeds in weedy and bushy slopes in open alpine and subalpine areas; wintering habitat poorly understood but presumed to be similar habitat at lower altitudes. Very few sightings in recent years.

A very small and striking gray, white, and black flycatcher-like bird with a very dark crown, a yellow eye, white wingbars, and a white spot above the bill base. Sexes differ: male’s chest band is broad and black, while female’s is gray. Juvenile has a rusty-tinged breast. Pairs are rare and localized residents in secondary forest, forest edge, and plantations. Calls include a series of 5–20 thin short high-pitched “seeet” notes on the same pitch, faster and more monotonous than similar sounds of other batises. Verreaux’s Batis is smaller and has a cleaner, thinner song than West African Batis. Female Verreaux’s also has a gray rather than chestnut breast band.  

A small, long-billed, long-tailed bird of dense undergrowth in lowland forest on Bohol, Leyte, and Samar islands. Olive-green on the back and wings, with an orange-brown tail often held cocked, yellow underparts, a thin yellow line around the back of the neck, and a black cap. Female has a white throat with some streaking around the edge, while the male has a black bib and a small white chin. Similar in size and shape to Rufous-fronted Tailorbird, but has yellow underparts and a black head. Voice includes monotonous piping notes given in series.