Sulphur-breasted Myzomela
Myzomela jugularis
A beautiful, intricately marked myzomela with a red cap (lacking in female) and throat, a black face, forehead, and back, a yellow chest, black wings with white spots and large olive patches, and grayish-white underparts. Rump vivid red. Undertail black with a white tip. Common in all habitats. Voice is a constant chattering of “chit-chit” and “sweet-sweet” calls.
Identification
The sulphur-breasted myzomela is 10 cm (4 in) long. The upperparts are black with a scarlet rump. The underparts are pale yellow-white. The curved bill and feet are black. The male has a scarlet crown.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Myzomela jugularis
- Authority
- Peale, 1849
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Meliphagidae
- Genus
- Myzomela
Range and habitat
The sulphur-breasted myzomela is endemic to Fiji, where it is the smallest resident avian species. It breeds on all the islands except Rotuma. It is a familiar bird in gardens as well as rural forest and mangrove habitats, and also among coconut trees in disturbed areas. Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests.
- Migration
- Nomadic movement
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Timor Leaf Warbler
Phylloscopus presbytes
A small green-and-yellow warbler from Timor and Flores. Bill largely black, with a pale spot at the base of the lower part; legs dark. Olive-green above with a broad yellow eyebrow and sometimes also a faint central crown stripe. Throat white, contrasting with yellow underparts. Sometimes shows an indistinct single wingbar. Juveniles browner with no crown stripe. Found in hill and montane forest and edges in Flores, extending to lowlands and scrub on Timor. Single birds, pairs, and groups can be found in the canopy. Differs from Arctic, Japanese, and Kamchatka Leaf Warblers in dark legs, yellower underside, central crown stripe (if present), and lack of a second wing bar. Sings a short, high warble: “swit-swee-swit-swee.”
Muscovy Duck
Cairina moschata
Large, hefty duck that has wild and domestic types. Wild birds are dark blackish overall with iridescent green and bronze, especially on the wings. Look for bold white wing patches in flight and red warts on the face (more extensive on males). Tends to be shy and most often seen in flight over extensive wetlands or along large rivers. Occurs extensively throughout Middle and South America, but typically scarce. Very restricted range in the U.S., only known from the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. Domestic birds, on the other hand, are regularly found walking around in parks and farms, looking for scraps of food and chasing native waterfowl. Plumage varies from all white to all black, typically with more extensive red warts on the face than wild birds. There is a well-established feral population in Florida, with smaller domestic populations spread across the globe.
Russet-capped Tesia
Tesia everetti
A small, long-legged, almost tailless brown songbird with a rufous cap and a subtle pale brown eyebrow. An active bird of the lower understory in forests, forest edge, and scrub in the foothills and mountains, most often seen singly. Limited to some islands in the Lesser Sundas, where it is the only small, rusty-capped, near-tailless brown songbird. Song is a warble consisting of seven notes, rapidly rising then falling. Other vocalizations include sharp “chip” notes.
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