Lesser Antillean Bullfinch
Loxigilla noctis
A tame and often conspicuous resident of thickets and tangles in a wide variety of habitats. Males are black with a red throat and vent, and females are buff and gray with rust on the wings and vent. The male is similar to the St. Lucia Black Finch, which has pale legs rather than black and lacks the Lesser Antillean Bullfinch’s red throat and vent. The female could be mistaken for a St. Lucia Black Finch or a female Black-faced Grassquit. The female black finch has a gray rather than brown crown and has pale (not dark) legs. Female grassquits are olive, not brown above and are smaller. The typical song is a series of three to seven “wheet” notes. Common calls include “chuk” and “tseet.”
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Loxigilla noctis
- Authority
- (Linnaeus, 1766)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thraupidae
- Genus
- Loxigilla
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Victoria's Riflebird
Ptiloris victoriae
Large songbird with long decurved bill. Male almost completely black, with green and blue metallic sheen on belly, throat, and crown. Female brown above, buff below, with a sparse scaly pattern on chest and belly and a pale eyebrow. Inhabits rainforest and nearby drier forest in northern Queensland (i.e., around Cairns). Call a loud explosive hiss, often repeated. Males display from a prominent upright stump or snag, holding wings high above the head, flashing bright yellow gape, bobbing, raising wings individually, and swaying.
Long-tailed Honey-buzzard
Henicopernis longicauda
A large, long-tailed raptor of lowland and montane forest and clearings. Commonly seen in flight soaring in circles over the canopy with wing and tail feathers spread, showing strong barring. The only similar looking raptor that regularly soars is Pacific Baza, but Long-tailed Honey-buzzard has a streaked chest and lacks the buffy underwing and belly. When perched, similar to Doria’s Goshawk, but has yellow eyes and white legs. Usually silent.
White-tailed Blue Flycatcher
Elminia albicauda
Slim, slightly crested flycatcher with a long tail that is often fanned. The back is blue, the underparts pale gray, and the outer tail white. Found in rainforest, gallery forest, lush gardens, and thick miombo. Often joins mixed-species feeding flocks. The song is a long, complex mix of warbling and chatty notes. Similar to African Blue Flycatcher, but has virtually no overlap in range, and easily separated by its white outer tail.
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