Tboli Sunbird
Aethopyga tibolii
A small, localized bird of montane forest in southern Mindanao. Has a long, curved bill, a gray head, yellow underparts and rump, an olive back and wings, and a white-tipped tail. Male has a narrow pale yellow throat stripe from the bill to the chest bordered with dark gray, a greenish-blue tail, and an orange patch in front of the shoulder. Female has a pale gray throat and a faintly streaked chest. Similar to Gray-hooded Sunbird, but Tboli has a yellow rather than white belly. Voice similar to Apo Sunbird’s, including a rapid pulsing series of “chip!” notes and a high-pitched upslurred “chuuuuuit!”
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Aethopyga tibolii
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Nectariniidae
- Genus
- Aethopyga
Photos
Other Birds
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Orochelidon murina
A rather dark swallow of the Andean highlands from Venezuela to Bolivia. Head and back are dark iridescent blue. Throat and belly are dusty grayish-brown. Tail is relatively long with a deep fork. Flocks are found over forest and clearings, especially around nesting sites on cliffs and landslides. Occurs from 2,500-4,000m, often higher than Blue-and-white Swallow but plenty of overlap.
Cuban Solitaire
Myadestes elisabeth
A medium-sized inhabitant of wet forests in mountains and foothills. Though subtle, its appearance is unique within its range. Note the subdued brown upperparts and soft gray underparts combined with a bold eyering, distinct dark whisker, and white outer tail feathers. Can be mistaken for a flycatcher, as it habitually sits motionless, except for sallies after insects or fruit, but no flycatcher in its range has a similar facial pattern or white outer tail feathers. Famed for its remarkable song, by which it is often first detected; a variable combination of loud shrills and flutelike notes.
Lewin's Honeyeater
Meliphaga lewinii
A medium-sized olive-gray honeyeater with a pale yellow cheek patch and a relatively stout bill. Cheek patch is often a crescent compared to the circular patch on Graceful Honeyeater and the oval path on Yellow-spotted Honeyeater. Adults have a bluish eye, while the similar Graceful Honeyeater has a blue-gray eye and Yellow-spotted Honeyeater has a brown eye. Listen for the rapid staccato machine-gun call of Lewin’s compared to the loud repeated whistles of the Yellow-spotted Honeyeater and the more simple, single note call of Graceful Honeyeater. Of the three easily confusable species, this is the only one found away from the tropics; it occurs in wetter forests and gardens all along the eastern coast of Australia.
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