Goldenface
Pachycare flavogriseum
A small, brightly-colored bird of foothill and lower montane forest canopy. Bright yellow underparts, face and forehead. Gray back and crown, bordered with black which widens at the back of the neck to form a half-collar. Obvious white spots on some wing feather tips, meeting in 2 lines down the back. Unmistakable appearance. Explosive whistlerlike “whip!” notes or repeated “chikki-chewitt!”.
Identification
The goldenface is a small whistler, around 13 cm in length and weighing 14–19 g. The plumage of the species is striking; the nominate subspecies (Pachycare flavogriseum flavogriseum) has a slate-grey back, tail, wing, cap and back of the neck and bright yellow face, throat, breast and belly. From the crown to the shoulder, the face is bordered with a black line and the tertial feathers of the wing are tipped with black and white. The eye and bill are black and the legs are pink. There is a small amount of sexual dimorphism, with the female differing from the male in having a dusky patch on the face. Immature birds of either sexes resemble the female. The three other subspecies resemble the nominate subspecies with minor differences. The subspecies P. f. subaurantium has darker upperparts and a slight orange tint, and P. f. subpallidum has much paler upperparts and the most yellow undersides. The identification of goldenface study skins held in museum collections is complicated by the tendency of the plumage colours used to identify the subspecies fading after death.
Taxonomy
The placement of this species and genus within the passerines is uncertain. It has been suggested that it belongs with the whistlers, in the family Pachycephalidae, based on its bright yellow plumage and voice, and the species is sometimes known as the dwarf whistler. Others have suggested placing it with the Australasian robins in the family Petroicidae, but the nest architecture is unlike that of the robin family; in fact, its nests more closely resemble those of the thornbills in the family Acanthizidae, another family to which it has sometimes been aligned. This relationship was supported by a 2009 molecular study, which placed the species in that family. There are four subspecies: Pachycare flavogriseum flavogriseum, P. f. subaurantium, P. f. subpallidum and P. f. lecroyae.
- Scientific name
- Pachycare flavogriseum
- Authority
- (Meyer, AB, 1874)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Pachycareidae
- Genus
- Pachycare
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Insects and spiders form the majority of the diet of this species. These prey items are gleaned from the outer foliage of trees, usually in the midstory, sometimes entering the upper stories of the forest. Goldenfaces will sometimes join mixed-species feeding flocks when foraging.<p>Little is known about the breeding biology of the goldenface. It may be slightly seasonal; birds in breeding condition have been found in August and October, and eggs and nestlings have been found from June to November. The nest, which is built by both parents, is globular in shape and has a downward pointing side entrance.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Klaas's Cuckoo
Chrysococcyx klaas
A small, greenish cuckoo. The male has plain white underparts and glossy green upperparts; note dark spurs that extend from the head down onto the lower throat, as well as conspicuous white patch behind the eye. The female is barred with greenish-bronze on the back; her head is gray-brown; and her underparts are barred brown-and-white. It eats caterpillars and larvae, and its preferred brood-parasite hosts are batises, small warblers, and sunbirds. A fairly common resident and migrant, it is much more conspicuous when incessantly repeating its plaintive “meeee-jtie, meeee-tjie” call.
Thick-billed Longspur
Rhynchophanes mccownii
Sparrowlike ground-dweller; crouches low to the ground and walks with pattering footsteps. Breeding male is gray with contrasting head pattern, black breast, and rufous patch on shoulder. Females and nonbreeding birds are much more subtle. Pale buffy overall with grayer nape, thick pink bill, and plain unstreaked underparts. In flight, note mostly white tail (even more so than Chestnut-collared Longspur). Often found in flocks, sometimes mixed with other longspurs or Horned Larks. Breeds in shortgrass prairies. Winters in similar shortgrass habitat or dirt fields.
Cream-eyed Bulbul
Pycnonotus pseudosimplex
Dull dirt-brown bulbul with pale button eyes. Currently only known from northern Borneo, where it is the only plain brown bulbul with white eyes. Pale-eyed forms of closely related Cream-vented Bulbul do not overlap in range. Found in a range of forests and forest edges. Like other bulbuls, often joins flocks at fruiting trees. Gives loud “pinks” and quiet sputtering trills.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.