Scaly-breasted Partridge
Tropicoperdix chloropus
A cryptically-colored ground-dweller without the bright colors and bold head patterns boasted by many of its relatives. Mottled brown overall with a grayish-white face and a speckled orange throat. Forages in dense undergrowth like other partridges, usually in mature foothill and lowland forest. Listen for its song, a series of ascending breathy whistles which culminate in an echoing series of ringing notes. As with many other forest gamebirds, very difficult to see in general; most likely encountered at staked-out blinds, or, if one is lucky, walking quietly along roadsides and clearings at dusk and dawn.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Tropicoperdix chloropus
- Authority
- Blyth, 1859
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- Phasianidae
- Genus
- Tropicoperdix
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Plain-winged Woodcreeper
Dendrocincla turdina
Medium-sized woodcreeper with a short bill. Found in the lower to middle levels of humid forests where it moves restlessly. Rather uniform rufous-brown overall with a brighter tail and a buff throat. Often associated with army-ant swarms and sometimes follows mixed-species flocks, but can also be encountered alone. The northern subspecies lacks the buff throat and has more rufous in the wings and tail.The song is a long (~60 seconds) series of “tchip-tchip-tchip” notes.
Wahlberg's Eagle
Hieraaetus wahlbergi
A small brown eagle with a slighter head and weaker beak than in larger brown eagles. A short crest gives the head a distinct squared-off look. In flight its crucifix-ilke shape is distinctive: straight-edged wings and a long straight-edged tail are most often held closed. Also occurs in pale and intermediate morphs, but dark, chocolate-brown coloration is the most common. Movements are complex, but it is mostly an intra-African migrant, breeding in the south (August to March) and occurring year-round farther north. Inhabits woodland, savanna, and farmland, hunting a broad range of vertebrate and insect prey both from perches and on the wing.
Bonin White-eye
Apalopteron familiare
Unique and unmistakable inhabitant of the central and southern Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands. Gray-olive with a yellow head and strange triangular black mask. Found in a range of different habitats on the Ogasawaras, from remnant native vegetation to cultivated gardens. Feeds on the ground and at all levels of vegetation, often in pairs or small flocks. Gives sweet “deeeyu” and sharp metallic squeaks, amongst other vocalizations.
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