Moluccan Megapode
Eulipoa wallacei
A partridge-like bird with an olive upper body, a mostly gray underside, and broad chestnut bands across the back and wings. Also note the white base to the undertail. Terrestrial, inhabiting forest in lowlands and hills, but most often seen by visiting specific beaches where they come to lay their eggs in the sand at night. The only patridge-like species in range with broad chestnut bands above. Vocalizations, mostly at night, include a moaning “kouw-kouw-kouw” and harsh, agitated “kek” calls.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Eulipoa wallacei
- Authority
- (Gray, GR, 1861)
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- Megapodiidae
- Genus
- Eulipoa
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds

Crested Hornero
Furnarius cristatus
A mostly terrestrial and chunky light brown bird of the north and central Chaco, from central Argentina to Western Paraguay and extreme SE Bolivia. Distinguished from Rufous Hornero by crest, from Lark-like Brushrunner by plain plumage, and from Cachalotes by dull plumage, smaller bill and size, and dark iris. Generally found in woodland, thorn scrub, and adjacent habitats. Builds large, open mud domed nests on exposed branches or power poles.

Common Reed Warbler
Acrocephalus scirpaceus
Rather plain medium-sized warbler: warm brown above with narrow pale spectacles, pale buffy below. Can be very difficult to separate from other reed warbler species. Most populations breed in reed or sedge beds, both pure and mixed with bushes, often wandering to adjacent scrub and thickets. “Mangrove” Reed Warbler is a resident in mangroves along the Red Sea. Non-breeding migratory birds may wind up in a wide range of habitats, from marshes to mangroves, to acacia scrub and cultivation. Often heard but can be hard to see: prolonged song much like Sedge Warbler but more even-paced and melodic, without rough and jerky phrases. Calls include a low “chuk” and rattled “chrrt.”

Western Striolated-Puffbird
Nystalus obamai
Chunky, bull-headed puffbird of lowland and foothill rainforest east of the Andes to far western Brazil. Underparts are pale with dark, vertical streaks. Also note stout, yellowish bill, and brown cap and back. Very similar to Eastern Striolated-Puffbird (limited overlap in Brazil and possibly Bolivia), but has thicker streaks on underparts. Singles or pairs perch motionless for long periods high in the canopy; usually heard before seen. Typical song is a whistled “wip wip-whirrr?, whurrrr”, with the other member of the pair responding at slightly different pitch.
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