Blue-throated Brown Sunbird

Cyanomitra cyanolaema

Large, dark, long-billed sunbird. The male has an iridescent blue patch on the forehead and throat, though this can be hard to see in poor light. The yellow shoulder tufts are usually hidden. The female is drab, but has a distinctively white-striped face. Found in the canopy of low- and middle-elevation rainforest. Distinctive call is a quick, descending series of several high notes. Male is separated from similar sunbirds by more restricted blue on the face.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Cyanomitra cyanolaema
Authority
(Jardine & Fraser, 1852)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Nectariniidae
Genus
Cyanomitra

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

Micronesian Rufous Fantail

Micronesian Rufous Fantail

Rhipidura versicolor

Small, active songbird with long, pale-tipped tail and warm brownish-orange on the forehead, rump, and tail base. Grayish brown above and pale below overall, with a white throat and black-speckled breast. Frequently cocks and fans tail. Endemic to the Mariana Islands (Saipan, Tinian, Agiguan, and Rota) and Yap, in the Carolina Islands. Extinct on Guam. Inhabits a wide range of habitats, from remnant native forests to towns. High-pitched, tinkling song often has a descending quality. Formerly grouped with other closely related species under “Rufous Fantail.”

Biak Megapode

Biak Megapode

Megapodius geelvinkianus

A small, dark scrubfowl of forest and disturbed habitats on the Bay Islands where the only member of its family. Sooty gray plumage, bare red to gray face, slight crest at the back of the head, reddish legs, and yellowish bill. It scrapes the forest floor with its large feet to uncover invertebrates. More often heard than seen. Vocal, giving varied parrotlike squeals. A common call is 2 tuneless yelps similar to New Guinea Scrubfowl, the first note higher than the second.

Roadside Hawk

Roadside Hawk

Rupornis magnirostris

Well-named, the common roadside hawk in tropical lowlands of East Mexico and Central and South America. Often seen on wires, phone poles, posts out in fields. Adult has staring pale eyes, streaked breast contrasting with barred belly. Immature streaked below, much like many other immature hawks, but its tail has broad and fairly even bands. Flies with rather quick, stiff wingbeats, recalling a Red-shouldered Hawk or an Accipiter; noisy flight display mainly in late winter-spring.

Start Your Bird Watching Journey

Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.