Papuan Harrier

Circus spilothorax

A common patroller above reedbeds, flying with wings raised in a shallow V-shape. Adult males are predominantly pale gray with a dark-speckled head, blackish back with pale-edged feathers, and black wingtips. Adult females are brown and streaky and lack the bold white rump patch of the similar female Hen Harrier. Juveniles are brown with paler heads and breasts. Extremely similar to Eastern Marsh-Harrier, but no range overlap.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Circus spilothorax
Authority
Salvadori & D'Albertis, 1875
Order
Accipitriformes
Family
Accipitridae
Genus
Circus

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Other Birds

Northern Gannet

Northern Gannet

Morus bassanus

Large seabird of the Atlantic with long, pointed bill, wings, and tail. Adults bright white with cream-colored head and black wingtips. Takes several years to reach adult plumage; juveniles are all sooty-brown and slowly acquire more white as they mature. Nests in enormous colonies on cliffs in the North Atlantic. Spends most of its life at sea, although often fairly close to land, so they are often visible from shore or on whale watching boats. Dives torpedolike into the ocean for fish. Gathers in large feeding flocks, but sometimes solitary.

Black-chested Fruiteater

Black-chested Fruiteater

Pipreola lubomirskii

Scarce fruiteater found in cloud forest along the east slope of the Andes in Ecuador, southern Colombia, and northern Peru. Male has a solid black hood that is not bordered by yellow on the neck. Female is mostly green with yellow streaking on her belly. Yellow eyes and dark legs are also useful features in both sexes to separate them from similar species. Feeds on berries at middle to upper levels in the forest. Gives very high-pitched whistles, some very short and others long and drawn out.

Cape Weaver

Cape Weaver

Ploceus capensis

A large weaver with a long, thin pointed bill. The male has a pale eye, and during the breeding season a brownish wash to the face. The female has a brown eye and an olive-brown belly. The species occupies open country, where it often breeds in mixed-species colonies over water or in large isolated trees. The chattering and rasping song is long and complex. The smaller Southern Brown-throated Weaver has a chunkier bill than Cape Weaver; its male has a better defined brown throat and its female has a white belly. African Golden-Weaver has reddish eyes, and Holub’s Golden-Weaver has an unstreaked yellowish back.

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