White-bellied Redstart
Luscinia phaenicuroides
A dark, medium-sized songbird with a long orange-sided tail, totally unlike any other redstart. Breeds in shrubby montane areas, particularly in the transition zone between forest and more open habitats; winters in similarly dense habitat at lower elevations. Male is predominantly grayish blue, with orange tail edges and a white belly. Female lacks the namesake white underparts and is instead brown overall with darker upperparts. Immature males have a blue head and chest, but are otherwise brown overall. Other redstarts in its range have a noticeably shorter-tailed profile. Song is an alternating series of clear, bell-like whistles and slurred whistles; most common call is a hard “tuktuk,” like stones knocking together.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Luscinia phaenicuroides
- Authority
- (Gray, JE & Gray, GR, 1847)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Genus
- Luscinia
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Vertical migration
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Fiji Woodswallow
Artamus mentalis
A thick-bodied, highly aerobatic bird, white below and dark above with a dark chin and white cheek. Often perches on wires. Bill pale bluish with a dark tip. No similar species within its range. Found in open or forest-edge habitats. Common call is a rapid metallic “wit-wit-wit.”
Short-tailed Pygmy-Tyrant
Myiornis ecaudatus
Tiny stump-tailed flycatcher; one of the smallest birds on earth. Minute size and compact body give it a unique appearance, in some ways looking more like a bumblebee than a bird. Whitish underparts with green back, gray head, and white spectacles. Found in mature and secondary rainforest, especially in areas with tall trees. Usually perches in the rainforest midstory and can be tricky to spot. Its song is a soft pair of short trilled notes “trrr-trrr,” sounding rather insectlike.
Sunda Warbler
Phylloscopus grammiceps
Handsome and distinctive warbler of foothill and montane forests in Java and Sumatra. Note dull orangish head with bright white eyerings, green wings with white wing bars, and gray back. Similar in appearance to closely related Yellow-breasted Warbler, but underparts are white. Forages actively in lower and middle levels of forest, often associating with mixed flocks. Song is a series of piercing high-pitched whistles. Calls include a dry “tchit” and a dry descending rattle.
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