Green-breasted Bushshrike
Malaconotus gladiator
A large, robust bushshrike with a massive head, a chunky hook-tipped black bill, and a pale eye; plumage is dull uniform olive, paler underneath, and head is gray. An uncommon resident endemic to the Cameroon-Nigeria highlands, found singly and in pairs in the canopy and at middle levels of primary hill and montane forest between 930 and 2300 meters of elevation, preferring steep slopes. Gives a low-pitched extended sorrowful “whhooooooo-lwe” song up to 10–15 times in succession, along with harsh clicks and rasps. Other similar large bushshrikes are yellow or orange underneath.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Malaconotus gladiator
- Authority
- (Reichenow, 1893)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Malaconotidae
- Genus
- Malaconotus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Red Avadavat
Amandava amandava
Strikingly pretty small finch. Males are largely red and covered in white spots with dark wings and tail. Females are gray with a rufous rump. Both sexes have a red beak. Gives a very musical song a high "teei" call. Found in grassy areas close to water and often near human habitation, particularly areas with wet rice paddies.
Lemon-breasted Seedeater
Crithagra citrinipectus
A small gray-brown seedeater with a lemon-yellow rump, white tail tips, and a boldly marked face with pale patches (white to lemon-yellow) above and below the eye. The throat and upper breast are lemon-yellow in the male and buff in the female. Pairs and small flocks occupy savanna, grassland, and palm savanna, where the species is partial to Ilala Palm. It forages on the ground and in small shrubs and grass. The similar Yellow-fronted Canary is yellower, has a broader eyebrow, and lacks wingbars and the vertical dark stripe below the eye.
Cotton Pygmy-Goose
Nettapus coromandelianus
Tiny duck. Male has a bright white head and neck with a dark crown and eyes. Female is plainer, with a strong dark eye-line that does not continue back to the nape. In flight, females have thin white edges on the trailing edge of the wings, while males have big white slashes on the wings. Usually seen swimming in freshwater wetlands, including small ponds and farm dams, especially those with extensive floating vegetation.
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