Rufous-headed Parrotbill
Paradoxornis bakeri
A short-tailed parrotbill with a bulbous orange head, found in hill and submontane forests. Brown above and white below. Very similar in appearance to the smaller Pale-billed Parrotbill; look for the latter’s short black eyebrow. Confusingly, both species are often found alongside one another in mixed flocks, typically with White-hooded Babblers. Gives chirps, squeaks, and mews frequently as it moves through bamboo thickets; also gives a distinct song composed of whistled notes.
Taxonomy
The rufous-headed parrotbill was alternatively considered as a member of the Old World babblers family, Timaliidae, or in the Sylviidae, but it actually seems to belong to the distinct family Paradoxornithidae. It was formerly considered as conspecific with the white-breasted parrotbill.
- Scientific name
- Paradoxornis bakeri
- Authority
- (Hartert, EJO, 1900)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Paradoxornithidae
- Genus
- Paradoxornis
Range and habitat
The natural habitats of the rufous-headed parrotbill are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Gray Teal
Anas gracilis
Plain grayish mottled duck with a rounded crown. Note plain face lacking the bold stripes of Pacific Black Duck. White wing panels are distinctive in flight compared to purple/green of Pacific Black Duck. Told from female Chestnut Teal by the much paler neck/throat. One of the most common ducks in many waterways, forming enormous flocks numbering in the 1000s.
Red-billed Firefinch
Lagonosticta senegala
The combination of a red bill, yellow-green eye-ring, and brown (not black) undertail are characteristic of this firefinch. The male has a pink face, crown, and underparts, while the female is mostly brown with a small pink patch between the eye and bill and a pink upper tail. Pairs and small flocks are resident in a variety of grassy savanna habitats and in cultivation, where they feed on the ground for seeds and fly into trees when disturbed. The species may join mixed-species flocks and often drinks or bathes. It gives a melodic “swee-tee-eeer” song and a spitting, tinny “prrrrrt” call. The Bar-breasted Firefinch is very similar to the Red-billed Firefinch, but has a brown (not reddish) crown; the Brown Firefinch has a brown rump.
West Indian Whistling-Duck
Dendrocygna arborea
A distinctive large waterbird between the size of a large duck and a goose. Nocturnal; roosts during day in mangroves, wooded ponds and marshes and feeds primarily at night. Generally scarce and typically somewhat secretive, particularly where hunting of this species is allowed. Call is loud shrill whistle: “pip-pip-pip-weeeeeaaaa” usually given when agitated or in flight. Similar Fulvous Whistling-Duck is brighter with streaked, not spotted, flanks.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.