Rufous-tailed Flycatcher
Myiarchus validus
A medium-sized woodland species that prefers moist forests where it typically “flycatches” from perches in thick foliage beneath the canopy. Note its bright rusty tail and the extensive rust on its wings. The Sad Flycatcher is much smaller-bodied and smaller-billed and lacks the rusty tail and wings. The similar Stolid Flycatcher is also smaller-billed and smaller-bodied with more limited rust on tail and wings. Rufous-tailed Flycatcher has a darker gray head and chest than either Sad or Stolid Flycatchers. Vocalizations include a slightly squeaky, emphatic “or-will,” a whistled “pi-pi-pi-pi-pee-pee-pee-pee,” and a harsh squeaky “pew” given in series, plus brief emphatic twitters.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Myiarchus validus
- Authority
- Cabanis, 1847
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Genus
- Myiarchus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Vogelkop Whistler
Pachycephala meyeri
A fairly small bird of lower montane forest. Both sexes look like a typical female whistler. Yellow belly, olive upperparts, gray head and diffuse band across the chest contrasting with very pale gray throat. Told from the usually higher Regent Whistler female by its plain, pale gray throat and from Sclater’s female by its gray head. Song, a short, whistled, medium-pitch phrase, increasing in volume. Also, an accelerating series of rising, identical-pitch notes with an explosive quality.
Snowy Plover
Anarhynchus nivosus
Small, pale plover with broken collar. In breeding plumage, black ear patch is distinctive. Thin black bill separates from other small plovers at all times of year. Also note relatively long, grayish legs. Typically uncommon. Found on sandy beaches on the coast and inland; usually singly or in small loose flocks. Larger numbers gather at key sites after breeding in summer and fall. Quickly darts around searching for invertebrates in the sand.
Anambra Waxbill
Estrilda poliopareia
A plain, somber waxbill with a pale grayish head, olive upperparts, buffy underparts, a distinctive orange-red bill and rump, and pale eyes. Found in pairs and small and large groups; uncommon and localized in rank grass (especially elephant grass), reeds, and sedges on the edges of rivers, swamps, and forest, and also sometimes in agricultural plantations, particularly manioc. Gives a nasal “nyert,” often in concert with others. The similar-looking Orange-cheeked Waxbill associates with Anambra, but always has an orange face patch (duller in juveniles).
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