Sumatran Shortwing
Brachypteryx saturata
A small, dark songster of montane rainforest floor and undergrowth on Sumatra. Male is overall dark slaty-gray but slightly paler on the belly. Female is similar but duller and even paler on the belly. Both sexes have thin, white eyebrows and long, black legs. Forages on the ground but also hops on logs and low branches. Can be confiding but moves rapidly when alarmed. Superficially similar to Sumatran Blue Robin but shortwing’s tail is shorter and it lacks the white forehead. Song is a cheerful, random series of up-and-down whistles. Call, a sharp “click!”
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Brachypteryx saturata
- Authority
- Salvadori, 1879
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Genus
- Brachypteryx
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Elegant Tit
Periparus elegans
A small, common bird of forest and more open wooded areas from the foothills to the mountains. Has a yellow cheek and underparts, a black bib, cap, and wing, whitish blotches on the wing, and a black tail with a white tip and edge markings. The female is not as bright as the male. Unmistakable in range. Song consists of a medium-pitched whistle, followed by two high notes, repeated: “chuu chit-chit! chuu chit-chit! chuu.” Also gives nasal rasps typical of tits.
Orange-crowned Warbler
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Nondescript warbler, generally olive-colored overall, but different populations vary from grayer to brighter yellow. Overall very plain and unmarked, but note short darkish line through eye and thin pale eye arcs. Forages for insects in scrubby areas, woodland edge, and thickets. Namesake orange crown is very difficult to see, and usually only a faint wash at best. More common in western North America, from Alaska to Mexico, where populations are brighter yellow-green. Birds in eastern North America are scarcer and drabber, often with a more contrasting grayish head. Bright yellow undertail coverts help separate Orange-crowned from the similarly drab Tennessee Warbler.
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