Streaked Wren-Babbler

Gypsophila brevicaudata

Skulky brown bird which scurries around among the leaf litter like a mouse. Dark-edged pale feathers on the back and crown give it a scaly-headed appearance. Gray-faced with rusty tinges in the wings. Subspecies in northern Myanmar and India have orange tinges to the underparts. Like other wren-babblers, typically shy and retiring, foraging in dense vegetation, though occasionally will emerge out into the open. Inhabits mid- to high-altitude forests, in which its high plaintive whistles can often be heard.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Gypsophila brevicaudata
Authority
(Blyth, 1855)
Order
Not a bird species
Family
Not applicable (plant name)
Genus
Gypsophila

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
declining

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

Magpie-lark

Magpie-lark

Grallina cyanoleuca

Large, terrestrial songbird with long, strong legs and fairly long, thin bill. Male black above, white below, with white wing patch, white face patch, white eye, black bib, black eyeline; female has white throat and immature a dark eye. Inhabits parks, gardens, and urban areas. Aggressive and noisy, often attacking its own reflection in car mirrors and windows. Much smaller than Australian Magpie, with a smaller pale bill.

Black-breasted Thrush

Black-breasted Thrush

Turdus dissimilis

Handsome small thrush. Male has a black head, gray back, and orange belly. Female is brown above and orange below, with a heavily black-streaked throat and upper breast; yellow bill and heavier streaking separate her from female Gray-backed Thrush, which may overlap with Black-breasted in winter. Black-breasted breeds in mid- to high-elevation forests and descends into foothills and upper lowlands in the winter. Song is typical of a thrush: highly varied phrases of fluidly melodic notes. 

Imperial Cormorant

Imperial Cormorant

Leucocarbo atriceps

Very striking cormorant readily identified by white neck. Locally common black-and-white cormorant of colder coastal waters. Often seen perched on inshore rocks and jetties, sometimes with Magellanic Cormorant. Nests colonially on low islands (rarely in lakes inland from coast) and jetties. Plumage varies regionally, with some birds black-faced and others white-faced; the two types breed together locally in the Strait of Magellan. Immature resembles adult but plumage duller overall, brownish above.

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