Ethiopian Black-headed Oriole
Oriolus monacha
A mostly yellow bird with a black hood and a red bill. The tail pattern varies geographically; it can be largely plain olive-and-yellow, or it can show black patches. Found in lush woodland and montane forest at middle elevations in the Abyssinian highlands. Very similar to African Black-headed Oriole, but usually separated by habitat and range. Further distinguished by the wing pattern, which is plainer, with a long gray patch, and without bold white feather edgings. Song is a series of slurred, liquid whistles, and calls include raspy notes.
Taxonomy
The Ethiopian oriole was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the thrushes in the genus Turdus and coined the binomial name Turdus monacha. The specific epithet monacha is from Late Latin monachus meaning "monk". Gmelin based his description on "Le Moloxita" or "La religieuse d'Abissinie" that had been described in 1775 by the French polymath Comte de Buffon in his multi-volume Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux. The Ethiopian oriole is now one of 30 orioles placed in the genus Oriolus that was introduced in 1766 by Linnaeus. Other common names include dark-headed or black-headed forest oriole and Abyssinian oriole.<p>Two subspecies are recognized:
- Scientific name
- Oriolus monacha
- Authority
- (Gmelin, JF, 1789)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Oriolidae
- Genus
- Oriolus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Prunella himalayana
Gray-brown overall with orange streaks on the breast and a white throat bordered by a thin black outline. Similar to Alpine Accentor, but darker and more extensively streaked. A common inhabitant of rocky alpine plateaus, meadows, and mountain slopes. Typically forages singly, but is often found in high numbers around campsites and towns where they scrounge for scraps.
Sooty Oystercatcher
Haematopus fuliginosus
Heavy-set shorebird with entirely black plumage and long, thick reddish bill. It has a distinctive fleshy red or yellow eye-ring and very thick pale-pink feet and legs. Exclusively coastal, where it can be found walking around on the edge of rocky headlands, on rock shelves, and along rocky beaches on small islands. Typically found in pairs or small groups. Its call is a loud slow whistled "chew", or when agitated a rapidly repeated "squeaky toy" call.
Black-naped Monarch
Hypothymis azurea
Beautiful azure-blue male exhibits a black nape patch and a thin black gorget. Female lacks the black nape patch and gorget markings, with gray-brown wings and bright blue only on the head. Both male and female show black feathers on top of the bill and grayish-white underparts. Inhabits both dry and wet forested areas from sea level up into foothills. Like flycatchers, hawks in mid-air to catch its prey. Often joins mixed flocks. Song is a bland, unremarkable “wi-wi-wi-wi-wi-wi-wi.” Calls include harsh nasal “wheh” and an explosive “whi-cheh!”
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