Guadalcanal Hooded Whistler
Pachycephala implicata
A distinctive whistler of dark, dingy appearance. Body color is a dank mossy olive, with a slate-gray throat and a black cap. Hood often appears one-colored in forest light. Female is golden below and olive above with a gray head and a white throat. Mainly found in primary forest above 1100 meters of elevation, but does wander lower. Occurs together with Oriole Whistler, but differs in the male’s lack of a bright golden throat, neck, and belly and the female’s olive back and unstreaked underparts. Voice includes a sequence of loud, almost electronic staccato whistles.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Pachycephala implicata
- Authority
- Hartert, EJO, 1929
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Pachycephalidae
- Genus
- Pachycephala
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Booted Eagle
Hieraaetus pennatus
A medium-sized buzzard-like raptor but still unmistakably eagle-shaped, with long fingered primary flight feathers, a long square-shaped tail, and feathered legs (boots) prominent when perched. Two color morphs: pale morphs are distinctively two-toned and contrasting, whereas dark birds can be confused with Black Kites and Marsh Harriers. Look for distinctive pale "landing lights" on the shoulders when viewed head-on. Found in forested country with open patches, often in hilly areas where it frequently soars with wings slightly pushed forward.
Puna Tinamou
Tinamotis pentlandii
Large, cryptically patterned chickenlike bird of puna grassland and bogs in the high Andes. Usually seen in trios or family groups (males take care of the young); fairly common where not hunted, but mostly wary of people. Very heavy bodied and runs strongly; very rarely flies. Striped head and dark rusty belly are diagnostic plumage features. Loud, shrieky, and rollicking choruses carry far in the thin air of the altiplano.
Black Crake
Zapornia flavirostra
A small, pudgy, blackish waterbird with reddish eyes, a yellowish bill, and diagnostic pink-red legs. The immature is browner, with duller legs and bill. It scuttles along the edges of swamps and other water bodies, preferring reedbeds and emergent vegetation to forage on, sometimes quite boldly. Like most crakes, it walks tentatively with its head lowered, picking and probing for insects, plant matter, and other food. The distinctive call is an odd, wheezy bubbling and chattering “cheeew-t-t-t-t treeew, t-t-t-t-t-treew”.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.