Crimson Sunbird
Aethopyga siparaja
A common sight throughout much of its range, this medium-sized sunbird can be found in parks, gardens, and plantations, as well as more pristine open forest and forest edge environments. Male is bright red with a dark gray belly and iridescent blue cap and “moustache.” Female is dull olive-yellow overall with brighter underparts. High, squeaky repetitive song is loud but often difficult to locate in high branches. Calls frequently, giving various squeaks and “tsip” notes while foraging.
Identification
Crimson sunbirds are tiny, only 11 cm long. They have medium-length thin down-curved bills and brush-tipped tubular tongues, both adaptations to their nectar feeding. The adult male has a crimson breast and maroon back, with black malar stripes. The rump is yellow and the belly is olive. The female has an olive-green back, yellowish breast and white tips to the outer tail feathers. In most of the range, males have a long green-blue tail, but A.s. nicobarica of the Nicobar Islands and the former subspecies A. vigorsii (Western crimson sunbird) of the Western Ghats of India lack the long central tail feathers. Their call is chee-cheewee.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Aethopyga siparaja
- Authority
- (Raffles, 1822)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Nectariniidae
- Genus
- Aethopyga
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Dwarf Cassowary
Casuarius bennetti
A huge flightless bird of hill and montane forest; occasionally in lowland rainforest, especially where other cassowary species are absent. The smallest member of the family. Plumage loose and black in adults, brown in juveniles. Adults have a bright blue neck with a red patch on the lower nape. Also note the low, rounded casque. Very secretive and seldom seen. Forages for fallen fruit on the forest floor. Similar to other cassowary species but smaller in size, with lower casque, lacking wattles and does not normally co-occur.
Great Skua
Stercorarius skua
Powerful dark brown seabird, resembles a dark, heavily built immature gull. Note eye-catching white flashes in the primaries when in flight. Adults have distinct pale mottling on the upperparts, which serves to separate them from adults of the very similar South Polar Skua. Juveniles are more uniformly colored, with warm-colored and largely unmarked underparts; note bulkier build and more powerful flight than Pomarine Jaeger. Breeds locally on moorland of islands and coasts in northern Europe, where aggressive near nests. Otherwise lives at sea, but may be seen from shore during windy conditions during migration periods. Feeds by pirating gulls and other seabirds, also by scavenging at fishing boats.
Grenada Flycatcher
Myiarchus nugator
A medium-sized “fly-catching” species of open woodlands and scrub including towns, preferring areas near palms; often sits still on perch for long periods of time before leaping forth in pursuit of insects. Grenada Flycatcher has a dull brown back and a yellow belly that contrasts with its gray chest and throat. The Caribbean Elaenia is passingly similar but is smaller with a proportionately small bill, and it has bold wingbars and dull, low-contrast underparts. Vocalizations include an emphatic low “whip” given in a slow series and sometimes followed by a rolling “pit-it-oooo.” Also, this species gives a shrill “whee,” singly or in series.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.