Green Iora
Aegithina viridissima
A medium-sized canopy-dweller of lowland and foothill forests, often seen with mixed flocks. Male is dark olive-green with boldly black-and-white-striped wings; female is paler, with an olive back and a less contrasting wing pattern. Look for bright yellow “goggles” around dark eyes in both sexes; Common Iora lacks these goggles and has pale eyes, but these can be hard to discern. Song is high, simple, and repetitive: “wit-dee, wit-dee, wit-dee” or “chew-a-wee-chew, chew-a-wee.” Calls vary, but the most common ones are downslurred and rather nasal-sounding.
Identification
The green iora is 12–14 cm (4.7–5.5 in) long. The male has black lores and bright yellow "eyelids" (a broken eye-ring). The face and upperparts are dark olive. The wings are black, with two white wing-bars on the covert feathers and olive-yellow margins on the flight feathers. The underparts are also dark olive, with lighter flanks and a yellow centre belly. The tail is black. The eyes are dark to red brown, the beak is grey-blue, and the feet are slaty blue. The female has yellow lores and a complete eye-ring. The upperparts and tail are medium olive. The wings are similar to those of the male but are washed olive, and the wing-bars are yellow instead. The underparts are olive green, with a yellow tint on the centre belly. The juvenile bird is similar to the female, but is paler.
Taxonomy
This species was described as Jora viridissima by Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1850. Harry C. Oberholser described subspecies Aegithina viridissima thapsina from the Anamba Islands in 1917, noting its larger size and yellower plumage. These two subspecies are recognised by the IOC World Bird List, while Aegithina viridissima nesiotica described by Oberholser in 1912 is now included in the nominate subspecies.
- Scientific name
- Aegithina viridissima
- Authority
- (Bonaparte, 1850)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Aegithinidae
- Genus
- Aegithina
Range and habitat
This species is found in Tenasserim, the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo and some small neighbouring islands, and it is locally extinct in Singapore. It lives in the canopy of lowland forests up to 820 m (2,690 ft) in elevation, and is also found in tall secondary forest, peat swamp forest and mangrove forest.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
This iora often occurs in pairs or small groups. It feeds on invertebrates, regularly joining mixed-species foraging flocks. The contact call is a whining, descending ji-sheur or ji-wier, and a ji-jirijiri-jeh mating call has been recorded. The green iora is usually sociable, but intense fighting has also been observed. Breeding has been recorded in April and May. The cup-shaped nest is built on a tree 8–12 m (26–39 ft) above the ground. Both the male and female incubate the eggs, and nestlings are brooded in rainy weather. Moulting has been recorded in July and August.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Rufous-legged Owl
Strix rufipes
Large nocturnal owl of temperate southern forests; fairly common but rarely encountered. Roosts and calls mainly in upper to middle levels of canopy, usually well hidden, but often hunts from low perches at forest edges and along roadsides. Rounded head (no “ears”) and dark brown eyes are distinctive. Compare with the larger Magellanic Horned Owl, which favors more open habitats. Loud barking and hooting song is striking and carries well on still nights.
White-browed Triller
Lalage moesta
A medium-sized bird of lowland wooded habitats, including mangroves, on Tanimbar Island where the only triller. White underparts, black upperparts with short, white eyebrow, 2 white wing-bars and other white-edged wing feathers. Loetoe Monarch has a white belly and black wing with a white patch, but a very different head pattern, with black throat and white cheek. Call, a sharp, nasal “jek!”.
Common Ostrich
Struthio camelus
Massive, conspicuous, flightless bird with long neck and robust legs. Mature males have black-and-white plumage, with pinkish skin, flushed in breeding plumage. Females and immatures are duller gray-brown. Small groups roam open and lightly-wooded country; can walk up to several kilometers a day. The stubby wings are used for spectacular breeding displays and dust-bathing. Deep booming calls can be heard from long distances. Similar Somali Ostrich (no range overlap) has slaty-colored skin and pale eyes, unlike the pink-skinned Common Ostrich.
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