Buru Bush Warbler
Locustella disturbans
A sparrow-sized dark warbler with an often scruffy-looking, graduated tail. Has dark chestnut-brown upperparts, a whitish eyebrow, a distinct white throat, and dull grayish underparts. Formerly grouped with Buru Bush Warbler and Seram Bush Warbler under the name “Chestnut-backed Bush Warbler.” A secretive inhabitant of montane and foothill forest, often creeping around on or near the ground. Darker above and dingier below than Gray’s and Middendorff's Grasshopper-Warblers, and also has a clean-cut white throat; almost identical to Sulawesi and Seram Bush Warblers, but ranges do not overlap. Calls include a sharp metallic “chit” and a drawn-out, wavering buzzy note, “tzeeoooreee.” There is some variation in songs, which usually comprise three high-pitched buzzing notes, “tzeeee-tzeee-tzeee,” higher-pitched on the final note. Song includes a high, liquid-sounding “tzi-tzee”, as well as a longer, more repetitive “tzi-tzee, tzi-tzee, tzi-tzee.”
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Locustella disturbans
- Authority
- (Hartert, EJO, 1900)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Locustellidae
- Genus
- Locustella
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Other Birds

Black-banded Owl
Strix huhula
Distinctive black-and-white banded owl with black eyes, a yellow bill, and yellow legs. Found in humid forests including Araucaria forests and occasionally in plantations and urban parks. The voice is a low, deep series of “uou” notes.

Yellow-eyed Black-Flycatcher
Melaenornis ardesiacus
Slim, long-tailed, all-black flycatcher with a pale yellow eye. Found along the edge and in clearings within Albertine Rift montane forest. Single birds of pairs perch out on conspicuous perches, sometimes quite low. Calls include low chuckling notes and a high, thin whistle; the song is a whispy, complex mix of high-pitched notes. Distinguished from all similar black birds by its pale eye.

Spotted Bowerbird
Chlamydera maculata
A brownish, mottled, strongly marked bowerbird with warm brown tones overall and a small pink crest on the nape. Loud rasping calls include hisses and squawks. Occurs in open woodlands, as well as in gardens and town parks within its range. Males decorate their avenue bowers with pale objects such as small bones and shells. Western Bowerbird is paler, and its range is further west. Spotted Bowerbird lives in inland portions of Queensland and New South Wales.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.