Papuan Boobook
Ninox theomacha
The commonest owl from lowland and montane forest and edge. Fairly small, with dark brown back and rich chocolate brown chest. Short, pale eyebrows forming a V-shape. Birds in some areas have broad white streaks on the belly and white flecking on the back. Often catches flying insects from a perched position. Told from the other co-occuring New Guinea Owls by the smaller size and lack of strong streaks or bars. Call a double, downslurred “hooo-hooo!” with a gravely quality, repeated at intervals.
Identification
The Papuan boobook (Ninox theomacha), jungle boobook or jungle hawk owl, is a medium-sized, dark-colored owl. It has a dark gray-brown facial disk with lighter colored eyebrows, sooty or chocolate underparts, and mainly dark gray wings. It lives mainly in lowland forests, montane forests, and submontane forests, mainly on the forests' edges. It is native to New Guinea.
Taxonomy
Genus: Ninox; Family: Strigidae; Order: Strigiformes.
- Scientific name
- Ninox theomacha
- Authority
- (Bonaparte, 1855)
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Strigidae
- Genus
- Ninox
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
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Medium-sized vanga with a white collar, a black head, and normally rufous underparts. Madagascar endemic that is primarily found in the eastern rainforest, and occasionally in western dry deciduous forest, where a white-breasted subspecies occurs. Active mid-story bird that joins flocks with other birds. Most common vocalization is a couple of quick notes followed by an explosive whistle: “chu-chow-wheeeet.” Much smaller-billed than Pollen’s Vanga. Similar to Ashy Cuckooshrike, but has buffy, or occasionally whitish, but never gray underparts.
Dotted Tanager
Ixothraupis varia
Small, beautiful tanager with bright uniform green plumage. Males have bluish wings and tail and scattered dots on breast. Note the dark lores. Females are all green and lack the dark lores. Found patchily in the canopy of humid forest and forest edges, typically in white sand areas or ridgetops, and often found with mixed-species flocks. Easily confused with juveniles of Yellow-bellied and Spotted Tanagers. The song is a very high, hissing “tsip... tsee-tseee-tsee-tsee-tsee”.
Painted Bunting
Passerina ciris
Incomparably beautiful songbird in which adult males are almost too colorful, with a jarring combination of rich blue head, bright red underparts, and lime green back. Females and immature males are plain green and unstreaked, not brown-toned like other buntings. Breeds in shrubby fields and forest edges, where males often sing from a high exposed perch. Found in a variety of weedy or thickety habitats in winter, often in small flocks that like to stay low and hidden. Sometimes visits feeders. Two disjunct populations look and sound very similar, but have different migration routes. Eastern birds, mainly breeding in Georgia and South Carolina, just migrate south to Florida and the Caribbean for the winter. Larger western population centered in Texas migrates to western Mexico and then filters south through Central America.
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