Blue-rumped Parrot

Psittinus cyanurus

Large-headed and short-tailed parrot with a comically bulbous bill. Male is green with a bright orange bill and a powder-blue head and rump. Female is brown-headed with a dark bill. Usually moves in mid-sized flocks through forests, edges, and parks. Does not sound as cacophonous and unpleasant as many parrots; gives rather musical whistled notes.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Psittinus cyanurus
Authority
(Forster, JR, 1795)
Order
Psittaciformes
Family
Psittaculidae
Genus
Psittinus

Range and habitat

Migration
Nomadic movement

Conservation

Population trend
declining

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

Tawny-breasted Parrotfinch

Tawny-breasted Parrotfinch

Erythrura hyperythra

Despite its exquisite coloration, this tiny finch is reclusive, generally uncommon, and seldom observed. Note emerald-green back and orange extending from the face down to the upper belly. Sky-blue forehead patch is much larger and brighter in males than females. Found in highland forests and forest edge; often associated with bamboo thickets.

Cassin's Vireo

Cassin's Vireo

Vireo cassinii

Fairly dull vireo, intermediate between Blue-headed and Plumbeous. Grayish-olive overall, but with yellowish flanks and greenish back. Note white spectacles contrasting with gray head and two whitish wingbars. Breeds in mixed coniferous forests, especially in mountainous areas; winters in Mexico. Often separable from Blue-headed and Plumbeous Vireos by range, but can overlap during migration and winter. Cassin's is less contrasty than Blue-headed, especially between the gray face and whitish throat, and the greenish back blends into the nape and crown. Some birds are best left unidentified.

Sumatran Shortwing

Sumatran Shortwing

Brachypteryx saturata

A small, dark songster of montane rainforest floor and undergrowth on Sumatra. Male is overall dark slaty-gray but slightly paler on the belly. Female is similar but duller and even paler on the belly. Both sexes have thin, white eyebrows and long, black legs. Forages on the ground but also hops on logs and low branches. Can be confiding but moves rapidly when alarmed. Superficially similar to Sumatran Blue Robin but shortwing’s tail is shorter and it lacks the white forehead. Song is a cheerful, random series of up-and-down whistles. Call, a sharp “click!”

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