Helmeted Friarbird
Philemon buceroides
Large brownish honeyeater with bare black facial skin and a long, pointed, black bill topped by a small rounded "horn". Uniformly gray-brown with upperparts a darker shade than the underparts. Care should be taken to distinguish it from Silver-crowned Friarbird (which has an angular edge to the upper rear portion of the black facial skin, as well as a slightly larger "horn" on the bill). Also similar is the Noisy Friarbird (which has a completely bare head). Found along the tropical Queensland and Northern Territory coasts—where it can be common in a variety of habitats including parks, gardens, mangroves, and forests. The "Sandstone" subspecies in Arnhem Land is quite different in habitat; it occurs in inland sandstone areas. Typically very loud, with has a variety of harsh, loud squawks, including the "poor devil" call.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Philemon buceroides
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Meliphagidae
- Genus
- Philemon
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Small yellow finch with a short bill found in savanna, grasslands, and other open habitats. Note the white patch under the tail, which can be difficult to see. Males are mostly bright yellow with an olive wash on the head and breast with an olive-brown streaky back. Females are yellowish-brown above and pale yellow below with heavy streaks. The song is a fast and nasal series: “Twee-chee-chee-chee-chee.”
Chiriqui Foliage-gleaner
Automolus exsertus
Skulking and generally inconspicuous brown bird of humid tropical forest. Found as singles or pairs, clambering in vine tangles or other dense understory, at times in leaf litter on the forest floor; usually difficult to see clearly. Note the rich buffy throat, broad eyebrow, and the dark rusty tail on an otherwise dark brownish bird. Loud song is a repeated, churring rattle, given from middle level perches inside the forest.
Black-capped Rufous-Warbler
Bathmocercus cerviniventris
Unusual and handsome forest-dwelling warbler. Mostly rufous-brown, with a black head and a black stripe onto the center of the belly. Skulks in the thick undergrowth of humid forest, often in areas near water. Usually detected by voice. The male gives 2-3 piercing whistled notes in a variable pattern, which can be repeated for minutes on end. He is sometimes accompanied by low “trr” calls from the female.
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