Gray-crowned Tetraka
Xanthomixis cinereiceps
Attractive, medium-sized tetraka. Green back, gray head, white throat, and yellowish underparts. Madagascar endemic that is found in eastern rainforest at middle and high elevations. Inhabits the mid-story, most often feeding by creeping along mossy branches like a woodpecker. Frequently joins flocks with tetrakas and other species. Call is a series of high, silvery, sputtered “sit” notes. Separated from Spectacled Tetraka by its smaller size, brighter underparts, gray head, and tree-creeping habits.
Identification
The bird is slender, with a green back, pale grey crown and ear coverts, a white throat, yellow underparts, and grey legs. The slim bill is pale pink with a darker culmen.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Xanthomixis cinereiceps
- Authority
- (Sharpe, 1881)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Bernieridae
- Genus
- Xanthomixis
Range and habitat
Its natural habitat is primary humid montane forests along the length of eastern Madagascar. It ranges from 900 to 2000 meters elevation, and is most common in higher-elevation forests at 1,400 to 1,800 meters. It is seldom found in disturbed forests or drier forests in the mountains' rain shadow.<p>It feeds on small insects on mossy tree trunks and sometimes on understory shrubs, but is seldom observed on the ground. It is often found in multi-species flocks.<p>It is threatened by habitat loss.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Stripe-throated Jery
Neomixis striatigula
Small, energetic, sharp-billed warbler. Always shows strong striping on the underparts. Madagascar endemic that is found in rainforest, spiny forest, and scrub, and only very locally in dry deciduous forest. Often joins flocks with other small bird species. Song in the east is a long, sweet, up-and-down trill. Song in the west is a complicated series of high notes and lower trills. Larger and bigger-billed than other jeries, with dark legs and strong striping below. Smaller than Rand’s Warbler, with a greener back, a weaker eye-stripe, and streaking below.
Mindanao Boobook
Ninox spilocephala
A fairly small owl of lowland forest on Mindanao. Dark brown on the head and upperparts with speckles on the wing, a reddish-brown chest, a white belly with thick reddish-brown streaking, and yellowish eyes. Similar to Chocolate Boobook, but Mindanao is much smaller and lacks any white on the chest. Song is a short three-noted phrase “boo-woo! boo!” with the first and second notes slurred.
Rock Pipit
Anthus petrosus
Plumage relatively dull and dark: grayish brown to grayish above with weak darker streaking; dingy whitish below with heavy and rather blurry dark streaking. Also note the dark legs (pink on smaller and buffier Meadow Pipit, which often occurs in coastal grassland adjacent to Rock Pipits). Song is a bland, repetitive, high-pitched series, often accelerating towards the end. Call a high, lisping, slightly harsh "ssiip", very similar to that of Water Pipit. Like other pipits, walks strongly and often pumps its tail a little. Found along rocky coasts; infrequent inland. Often seen on rocks and adjacent areas with short grass.
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