Indian Cuckooshrike
Coracina macei
A large gray cuckooshrike with a strong, hooked bill. Upperparts are mostly gray with black primaries; male darker than female. Note pale patch on back and white tail tips when bird is in flight. Male is gray with a lightly barred white belly. Female has denser barring that transitions to a white lower belly and undertail. Both sexes have a dark patch from the bill to slightly behind the eye, giving a masked impression. Juvenile is brownish, heavily scaled with whitish-buff, and mottled on the underparts. Immature has broader white edges to wing feathers. Vocal. Often gives a two-noted, rather nasal “gii-yaak,” uttered in flight as well as from a perch; also gives scratchy squeal calls. Inhabits lightly wooded country, avoiding wet forests.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Coracina macei
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Campephagidae
- Genus
- Coracina
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Green-breasted Mango
Anthracothorax prevostii
Large, bulky hummingbird with slightly arched black bill. Favors forest edge and open areas with scattered tall trees. Often perches and feeds high in canopy, but also feeds low on occasions and will visit feeders. Male (some females similar) solidly dark, deep green overall with black throat, purplish tail. Female and immature have broad dark stripe down center of throat and breast, white tail corners. Immature also has rusty mottling along sides of throat and breast.
Common Waxbill
Estrilda astrild
Tiny finch with short wings, a red bill, and a long tail. The body is largely gray with subtle dark bars, a prominent red mask and a dark vent. Bill is dark in juveniles. Normally encountered in noisy flocks in grassy and reedy areas; listen for distinctive descending wheezy calls. Often found in urban areas outside of its natural African range; introduced widely across the world, including the Iberian Peninsula, Taiwan, Puerto Rico, Brazil, and various Indian and Pacific Ocean islands.
Puaiohi
Myadestes palmeri
A rare thrush of remote forests above 4,000 feet elevation only on Kauai. Usually found in dense vegetation along streams, sometimes on adjacent ridges. Nests on ledges of streamside cliffs. Shy and unobtrusive. Adults grayish brown with broken eyering, juveniles are densely spotted below. Song is a rapid, complex warble composed of many short notes. The more frequently heard call is a harsh, grating “reagh.”
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