Lesser Melampitta
Melampitta lugubris
A shy, medium-sized ground bird of montane forest. Velvety black plumage with long legs, a fairly short tail and a bulbous head. Eye color is red in male and brown in female. Hops around looking for food. Somewhat similar to Blue-gray and Smoky Robins, but Lesser Melampitta is larger and black rather than gray. More often heard than seen. Call, a rather unbirdlike “klik!” or “puk-klik!”.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Melampitta lugubris
- Authority
- Schlegel, 1871
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Melampittidae
- Genus
- Melampitta
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Greenish Puffleg
Haplophaedia aureliae
A fairly dull green hummingbird with small white puffs at the base of each leg. Otherwise devoid of flashy field marks; look for a rather short straight bill, diffuse scaled appearance on the underparts, dark tail, and coppery sheen on the head. Sexes similar. Usually uncommon in Andean cloud forest from 1,500–2,500 m; can be found within forest or at the edge.
Malabar Trogon
Harpactes fasciatus
Brightly-colored but sluggish medium-sized bird. Unmistakable; the only trogon in its range. Male has black head, white “belt,” and bright red belly. Female has a brown head and orangish underparts. Both sexes have a bright blue bill. Sits quietly in the middle levels of forests, often near bamboo clusters; also follows mixed-species foraging flocks. Gives a series of inflected yelps: “kweh, kweh, kweh.”
Carruthers's Cisticola
Cisticola carruthersi
Relatively colorful, mid-sized, long-tailed cisticola. Note the gray-brown back with thick black streaks, rufous on the wing and cap, and whitish underparts. Found mainly in papyrus swamp and locally in other wetland habitats. Song is a quick, aggressive series of several “chyap” notes. Very similar to Winding Cisticola, and best separated by song; Carruther’s also has a less reddish panel in the wing and a mostly dark tail.
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