Chestnut-throated Seedeater
Sporophila telasco
Fairly common in desert lowlands, favoring agricultural fields, weedy and grassy areas, and brushy hedgerows; often sings from prominent perches such as utility wires. Note small size but with a very stout, stubby bill. Male plumage variable; clean whitish and slate-gray overall with dark rusty chin in full breeding plumage, but often messy and mottled. Female is drab pale buffy with a streaked back; note her big, stubby pinkish bill.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Sporophila telasco
- Authority
- (Lesson, RP, 1828)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thraupidae
- Genus
- Sporophila
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds

White-bellied Cuckooshrike
Coracina papuensis
Medium-sized slender bird, pale gray above, white below, with a small dark bridge between the bill and eye (lores) and faint partial white eyering. Immature lacks distinct mask of Black-faced Cuckooshrike. Dark morph shows large but variable black bib and breast, mottled or barred at the edges. Inhabits eucalypt forest and other woodlands in Australia, Indonesia, New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. Call a high-pitched, two-note squeak.

Black-shouldered Kite
Elanus axillaris
Small, striking gray and white raptor with black shoulder patches. Underparts white with two black patches on underwing, extending from "wrist" to wingtips. Legs and feet yellow. Eyes are bright red, and dark markings behind the eye end in a sharp point. Hovers over grasslands searching for prey. Perches on exposed branches and dead trees. Common in agricultural areas and around the edges of towns.

Papuan Babbler
Garritornis isidorei
A fairly large bird of lowland forest midstory. Rusty brown with a long tail and long, curved, yellow bill. Moves in noisy flocks searching for insects in tangles, sometimes mixing with other species including Black Cicadabird and Rusty Pitohui. Similar to the two aforementioned species, but Papuan Babbler has a longer bill. Voice, loud downward, repeated whistle “weeuuuu!” mixed with harsh rasping and chattering calls.
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