Geelvink Imperial-Pigeon

Ducula geelvinkiana

A large, stocky pigeon of islands in Geelvink Bay, West Papua. Gray head, yellow eye, emerald-green back and wings, blue tail and rusty vent. Found in lowland rainforest, and some wander between islands, rarely even to the mainland. Voice a deep, gravelly, 2-note “grrr-waw”, with the second note higher than the first. Distinctive within its small range.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Ducula geelvinkiana
Authority
(Schlegel, 1873)
Order
Columbiformes
Family
Columbidae
Genus
Ducula

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Other Birds

Ash-winged Antwren

Ash-winged Antwren

Euchrepomis spodioptila

Tiny bird of rainforest canopy. Key field marks are white wing bars, clear pale gray underparts, thin black line through eye, and (especially) contrasting rufous back. Occurs in tall rainforest, where it follows canopy mixed-species flocks and is almost never found away from them. Feeds actively on insects, gleaning from foliage and often hanging upside-down, thereby offering a dorsal view that should facilitate identification. Song, which carries surprisingly far, is a thin, staccato trill, fast and accelerating. Smaller and more active than most other species in canopy flocks; habit of hanging upside-down recalls a greenlet, but face pattern, wing bars and contrasting back color are distinctive.

Ocellated Piculet

Ocellated Piculet

Picumnus dorbignyanus

Gray, spotted piculet of mid-elevation forests. Dusky gray above and white below, with extensive black spotting from the head to the belly; males have a scarlet red forehead patch. Found at higher elevations than most other piculets in its range; grayer, with much more extensive black spotting, than the pale Fine-barred Piculet. Forages singly or in pairs in the mid-story of humid montane forest, sometimes joining mixed-species flocks. Its song is a very high, descending series of sharp, metallic notes.

Pale-billed Scrubwren

Pale-billed Scrubwren

Aethomyias spilodera

A small bird of foothill forest understory and midstory. Dark brown upperparts, paler underparts and characteristic pale bill. Races differ. Some with spotted throat and whitish or buffy underparts. Searches actively for insects in small groups or mixed flocks, often flicking its tail. Co-occurs at elevations with other scrubwrens, including Gray-green and Perplexing, but Pale-billed has an obvious pale bill. Song, an up-and-down “see-saw” repeated. Call, a scratchy chattering.

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