Buff-banded Bushbird
Cincloramphus bivittatus
A small rufous songbird with a longish tail and a stout bill. Uniform rufous-brown above with a thick buff eyebrow, and pale below with a warm buff wash on throat and breast. Juvenile duller, less rufous, with ill-defined eyebrow. A secretive bird, found singly or in pairs within thickets inside lowland and hill forest. Confined to Timor. Combination of heavy bill, broad buff brow, long tail, unmarked upperparts, and buff wash to throat and breast separates it from all other brown, warbler-like songbirds. Song is a crisp two- to three-note “zwi-chit” or “zi-chiwit.” Also gives trills and grating rattles.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Cincloramphus bivittatus
- Authority
- (Bonaparte, 1850)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Locustellidae
- Genus
- Cincloramphus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Red-fronted Rosefinch
Carpodacus puniceus
A large finch of extreme conditions, this is a breeder of sparsely vegetated, often barren environments such as glacier and cliff edges, rocky slopes, scrubby open meadows, and boulder fields; descends into open or scrubby habitat in the winter. Male is dark streaky brown with a crimson face and breast; female is streaky brown all over with no hint of a facial pattern. Large size and habitat serve to distinguish this from similar species.
Makira Honeyeater
Meliarchus sclateri
Large. Light brown above, white with diffuse black streaks below. White face frames a beady black eye. Bill long and decurved. Common in most habitats. Voice includes a mix of harsh loud whistles, honks, croaks, and whines.
Bismarck Munia
Lonchura melaena
A handsome small finch that appears very dark with a bright white belly patch. Head and chest black, back rich hazelnut brown, tail golden-orange. Undertail very black. Flanks scaled black-and-white. Found in most patches of tall grass up to 1200 meters of elevation. Other munias occur in the same areas, but Bismarck’s bold color patterns make for simple identification. Most common call is a chorus of soft “peep” and “see” notes, but overall relatively quiet.
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