Spotted Honeyguide
Indicator maculatus
A large honeyguide of forest and forest edge. Usually stays high in the trees, but will descend low when foraging or when following humans through the forest. Shows greenish back and wings with a spotted crown and distinctive olive-green underparts with white spotting. Has a typical honeyguide tail, with white outer tail feathers with dark tips. Throat is paler than breast, and the pale belly has spots turning to streaks. Song is a distinctive trilled “tjrrrrr” lasting up to several seconds.
Identification
The spotted honeyguide (Indicator maculatus) is a species of bird in the family Indicatoridae. It is found in Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Togo, and Uganda.
Taxonomy
Genus: Indicator; Family: Indicatoridae; Order: Piciformes.
- Scientific name
- Indicator maculatus
- Authority
- Gray, GR, 1847
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Indicatoridae
- Genus
- Indicator
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
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Small, chunky, emerald-green finch of humid evergreen forest in highlands and foothills. Usually in pairs or small groups feeding at fruiting trees and bushes, often in the canopy where easily overlooked. Note the bright yellow belly and stubby bill. Blue crown patch often difficult to see, given that birds are usually overhead. Note similar Green Shrike-Vireo, which occurs in some of the same areas.
Genovesa Ground-Finch
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A wedge-billed Galápagos finch found only on Genovesa Island. Formerly considered a subspecies of Sharp-beaked Ground-Finch, and likewise has a sharp, thin bill with nearly straight edges. Bill is black on breeding male and dull orange on female and nonbreeding male. The only other slender-billed finch on Genovesa is the very different Gray Warbler-Finch, which has a thinner bill, tan (not sooty-black) adult male plumage, and paler and less heavily streaked female plumage. Common and easy to see in arid scrub near the coast.
Blanford's Snowfinch
Pyrgilauda blanfordi
Like many other snowfinches, the Blanford’s is found in open areas on high-altitude steppes and hills, but generally prefers drier areas than other species. Predominantly white and brown with a black crescent curving around the front of the face and a pale orange one curving around the back, giving the bird a somewhat round-cheeked appearance. Often quite tame, taking scraps from hikers, monks, and shepherds.
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