Tibetan Bunting
Emberiza koslowi
Handsome thickset bunting restricted to a small part of the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan plateau where it inhabits scrubby slopes above the timberline. Unmistakable in its range; no other bunting in the area combines its size, brick-orange back, and gray belly. Male has a striking black-and-white head pattern while female is gray-headed with weak streaking. Song is an unmusical and unremarkable series of high, sharp “pi-pi-pipipew” notes.
Identification
The crown is black and there are white stripes at the head. The back is chestnut coloured.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Emberiza koslowi
- Authority
- Bianchi, 1904
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Emberizidae
- Genus
- Emberiza
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The domed nest structure of this species appears to be unique amongst the Emberizinae buntings which have open nest structures. Female lays 3 or 4 eggs.<p>They eat grains in winter and insects, like butterflies, grasshoppers and beetles, in summer.<p>Main predators of Tibetan bunting are birds of prey like falcons and owls and mammals like foxes, weasels and badgers.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Village Indigobird
Vidua chalybeata
Nest parasite that lays its eggs in the nests of Red-billed and Brown firefinches. Breeding males are glossy black, while females and non-breeding males are streaky and brown on the back and pale below, with a bold facial pattern. The color of the bill is red in southeast Africa and whitish in western, northern, and central Africa. Found in savanna, scrub, farmland, and towns. Mimics the vocalizations of its host firefinches: low rattling series and high-pitched whistled notes. In southeast Africa, can be separated from other indigobirds by its red bill. Very similar to other indigobirds elsewhere on the continent. Breeding males can be separated by their all-black wings that lack a pale brownish panel. The mimicked vocalizations of its host species can also help confirm identification. In non-breeding plumage, similar to non-breeding Pin-tailed Whydah but separated by red legs.
Planalto Woodcreeper
Dendrocolaptes platyrostris
Large woodcreeper found in humid and montane forests and woodlands including woodland edges and gallery forests. The bill is medium length and fairly straight. Like many woodcreepers, it is largely rufous-brown, but it has buff streaks on the head, neck, throat, and upper back. The belly is marked with dark horizontal bars. Occasionally associated with army-ant swarms and regularly follows mixed-species flocks. The song is a repetition of 5–8 “whip-whip-whip” notes.
Mimic Honeyeater
Meliphaga analoga
A common, medium-sized honeyeater of all wooded habitats in the lowlands and foothills. Olive plumage, a little paler on the underparts with no mottling. Large and elongated, yellow ear spot. ID problematic as it co-occurs with many other similar species. Mountain and Graceful are smaller, Puff-backed has a thicker bill, Yellow-gaped has a more prominent yellow gape. Calls include a trill, a whistle and a “chup!”.
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