Atherton Scrubwren

Sericornis keri

Small mostly terrestrial bird of rainforest and wet eucalypt woodlands in a very small range in the Atherton Tabelands of far northern Queensland. Brownish above, grayish yellow below, with long pointed bill, long pinkish legs, and off-white eyering. Forages for insects mostly on the ground or in the lower canopy. Compare Large-billed Scrubwren, which is paler, less likely to feed on the ground, slightly smaller, and has a more twittering call. Song is variable, often including repeated two-note elements.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Sericornis keri
Authority
Mathews, 1920
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Acanthizidae
Genus
Sericornis

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
declining

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

Short-tailed Hawk

Short-tailed Hawk

Buteo brachyurus

Rather small hawk that is often seen soaring on flat wings with tips swept upwards, suddenly dropping out of the sky like a rock. Dark morph adult is very dark brown with paler undersides on outer flight feathers. Dark juvenile similar but is distinctly spotted below, and lacks the terminal band on the wings. Light morph adult is clean white below and brown above with rusty patch on the side of its neck, a dark hood and a white throat. Light morph juvenile is similar but lacks rusty patch. All birds have a faintly banded tail. Most similar to Broad-winged Hawk, which is never clean white below. Dark morph Broad-winged separable from dark morph Short-tailed Hawks by tail pattern and wing shape.

Varzea Piculet

Varzea Piculet

Picumnus varzeae

Tiny, dark brown woodpecker. Plumage varies; typically darker and more unmarked in the east and more barred toward the west, but usually looks scaled with white spots. Males have a red forehead. Found across a restricted distribution in seasonally flooded forests and on river islands.

Gray-streaked Flycatcher

Gray-streaked Flycatcher

Muscicapa griseisticta

Small and streaky flycatcher, with longer-winged appearance than Asian Brown and Dark-sided Flycatchers. Breeds in mixed and deciduous forest in lowlands and hilly regions. Dark brown above, white below, with distinct pale eyering and long, dark streaks below. Streaking can resemble the patterning of some Dark-sided Flycatchers but is more distinct, less smudgy-looking. Asian Brown Flycatcher shares the same general color scheme but is paler brown and lacks streaking.

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