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
Genus: Aethopyga; Family: Nectariniidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Aethopyga siparaja
- Authority
- (Raffles, 1822)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Nectariniidae
- Genus
- Aethopyga
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Sichuan Leaf Warbler
Phylloscopus forresti
Like most leaf warblers, it is a small, active bird and excruciatingly difficult to identify; likely to be seen fleetingly in the upper layers of the forest. Very similar in appearance to other “Pallas’s-type” leaf warblers in its range. Bleached-white crown stripe and predominantly white brow stripes distinguish this species from the much yellower Pallas’s Leaf Warbler. Sichuan lacks the white tail edges (visible in flight) of Buff-barred and Ashy-throated warblers. Appears nearly identical to Lemon-rumped Warbler but has a brighter yellow rump and averages darker olive-green above. Breeds in mid- to high-elevation coniferous and mixed forests, but descends into foothills in the winter. Song has two types, both of which are difficult to distinguish from those of Lemon-rumped Warbler, but they tend to be slower in their delivery. Calls are crisp notes, slower-sounding and longer than those of Lemon-rumped Warbler.
Green-breasted Bushshrike
Malaconotus gladiator
A large, robust bushshrike with a massive head, a chunky hook-tipped black bill, and a pale eye; plumage is dull uniform olive, paler underneath, and head is gray. An uncommon resident endemic to the Cameroon-Nigeria highlands, found singly and in pairs in the canopy and at middle levels of primary hill and montane forest between 930 and 2300 meters of elevation, preferring steep slopes. Gives a low-pitched extended sorrowful “whhooooooo-lwe” song up to 10–15 times in succession, along with harsh clicks and rasps. Other similar large bushshrikes are yellow or orange underneath.
Pied Cuckooshrike
Coracina bicolor
Male is a striking, heavy-billed black-and-white bird, all black above except for a large white rump, with underparts entirely white but for the dark tail. Female is similar, but gray instead of black, and has a gray throat. Juvenile resembles female but browner, with scattered white feather edgings. Pairs and singles inhabit canopy of lowland forest and forest edge. Female similar to White-rumped Cuckooshrike, but has dark eyes, is darker gray, and occupies different habitat. Gives a resonant “chew-chew-chew-chew” song as well as quieter rasping notes.
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