Rusty Mouse-Warbler

Origma murina

A small, secretive bird of lowland and foothill forest understory. Rusty underparts, gray-brown back blending to a blackish front half of the crown, white chin and upper throat. Aru birds are more white below. Similar to Bicolored Mouse-Warbler, but Rusty is usually found lower and has a white rather than rufous throat. Much more often heard than seen and it is one of the characteristic sounds of the forest. A slightly tuneless, high-pitched, whistled song.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Origma murina
Authority
(Sclater, PL, 1858)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Acanthizidae
Genus
Origma

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Other Birds

Chestnut-throated Flycatcher

Chestnut-throated Flycatcher

Myiagra castaneigularis

A beautiful small flycatcher. Mostly pale whitish gray below and dark blue above. Crown and cheek vivid sky blue, throat chestnut, and bill bright red. Prefers native mature forest in hills, avoiding regrowth. Similar to Vanikoro Flycatcher, but distinguished by vivid blue head markings and reduced rufous below. Almost identical to Azure-crested Flycatcher, but range does not overlap. Voice poorly known, but calls include typical churring and buzzing notes.

Black-bellied Bustard

Black-bellied Bustard

Lissotis melanogaster

A lithe, medium-sized bustard with black daubs on a mostly tan-colored back. The male has a black belly, neck stripe, throat, and face patch. The female is uniform buff-brown from the belly to the head. In flight, both sexes have white windows in the wings. Singles and pairs inhabit tall grassland and grassy savanna. Its strange display involves the male stretching his neck and making a frog-like “kwoork” croak, and as he retracts his head to the shoulders, follows with a “grrrr” growl and champagne-cork-like “pop” while his head lifts again. He also performs an aerial display with the wings held back rigidly and with a puffed throat exposed.

Black-chinned Robin

Black-chinned Robin

Leucophantes brachyurus

A medium-sized bird of lowland and foothill forest interior. Black upperparts, head and narrow band across the chin, white underparts, prominent white eyebrow, and patch in the wing. Sits still in the understory, often perching on trucks or vertical branches. Very similar to Black-sided Robin and co-occurs in some areas, but Black-chinned lacks the black on the sides of the chest, has a broader white eyebrow and a black chin. Song, a simple series of breathless whistled notes, first descending then rising at the end.

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