Grande Comore Flycatcher
Humblotia flavirostris
A distinctive and attractive flycatcher that is endemic to Grand Comoro. Dark brown on the upperparts and heavily streaked below, with a yellow bill and feet and white wingbars. Found at the middle levels of montane forest at middle and high elevations. Often flicks the wings and tail. No similar flycatchers occur in its small range. The vocalizations are a high, descending whistle and a short, spitting trill. The two calls are often alternated.
Identification
The upperparts are grey-brown while the underparts are pale with dark streaks. It has a dark crown with pale streaks and the bill and feet are yellow-orange. The bird is 14 centimetres (5.5 in) long. It is often silent but has a soft trilling call. It differs from Muscicapa and other flycatchers in having plumage with a very soft and fluffy texture, and by having distinctive feathers on the crown that are a modification that represents the beginnings of the formation of a crest.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Humblotia flavirostris
- Authority
- Milne-Edwards & Oustalet, 1885
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Nectariniidae
- Genus
- Humblotia
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Humblot's flycatcher feeds on insects which it catches by making short flights from a perch low in a tree or bush. Often, it will feed in groups of two or three. Little is known about its breeding habits; the only known nest was a cup built high in a tree which contained at least two young.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Green Shrike-Vireo
Vireolanius pulchellus
Chunky, sluggish green bird of humid evergreen forest in tropical foothills and lowlands. Rarely seen, but often heard singing monotonously from the canopy. Forages mainly at middle to upper levels, at times with mixed-species feeding flocks. Plumage is bright green overall, blending well with the foliage. Note the yellow throat and stout gray bill; turquoise-blue crown usually not visible from below. Similar Blue-crowned Chlorophonia has brighter yellow belly and stubbier bill.
Rusty-backed Thrush
Geokichla erythronota
A spectacular chestnut-backed thrush with striking white facial patches, black-and-white wings, and bold pied markings below. Juvenile shows buff streaks on crown and back and buff throat. Terrestrial, feeding on the forest floor singly or in pairs within the lowlands and low hills. Unmistakable within its limited range on islands of Sulawesi and Kabaena. Mournful song is a phrase of several high-pitched whistled notes, “deee-der-doo” or “deee-der.” Calls include “chak” notes and a high-pitched “peep” call.
Forest Swallow
Atronanus fuliginosus
A unique dark swallow of lowland rainforest, less commonly seen at forest edge and in montane foothills. The only swallow that can be found flying bat-like under the canopy in closed forest. Overall a dark sooty brown, with some birds, especially adult males, having brighter rufous throats. Small and compact with a short, mostly squared tail. Often found nesting under boulders, in caves, or in similar locations in the rainforest. Very similar to Square-tailed Sawwing, and some individuals are best left unidentified. Note Forest Swallow’s unique, bat-like flight, and in good light, its more brownish plumage and sometimes more rufous throat. Despite its visual similarity to sawwings, this species is most closely related to house-martins. Voice is a short, buzzy call note.
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