White-capped Bunting

Emberiza stewarti

Male’s elegant black-and-white facial pattern is unique. Female is plain, streaky brown all over with faint white eye-ring, a weak hint of the male’s facial pattern, and a small white spot on the “ears”. Breeds in rocky gullies, valleys, and hillsides at middle to upper elevations; winters at lower altitudes, in fields, scrubland, and open dry forest. Song is a series of twanging buzzy pulses: “TZI-TZI-TZI-TZI-TZI.”

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Emberiza stewarti
Authority
(Blyth, 1854)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Emberizidae
Genus
Emberiza

Range and habitat

Breeding range
OR : montane temperate c Asia dry woods: ec, s Kazakhstan, e Uzbekistan and far e Turkmenistan, through Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan through Afghanistan and n, wc Pakistan, Kashmir to c Himachal Pradesh
Non-breeding range
to far w and c India in open areas
Migration
Complete migrants

Conservation

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

Himalayan Cuckoo

Himalayan Cuckoo

Cuculus saturatus

Visually indistinguishable from Oriental Cuckoo. Adult male is gray above with a black-and-white-barred belly and a dark gray tail; females usually look similar, but some (known as hepatic morph birds) have cinnamon-brown upperparts with black barring throughout. Intermediate in size between Common and Lesser Cuckoos; distinguished from both species by buffy (not white) under-tail feathers and from Lesser Cuckoos by yellow iris. Song is a series of five notes, with the leading note being sharper and more distinct than the four that follow; compare with Oriental Cuckoo’s series of mellow paired notes. Breeds in a wide range of different lowland and hill forests; also more open habitats outside of breeding season.

Prince Ruspoli's Turaco

Prince Ruspoli's Turaco

Menelikornis ruspolii

A spectacular green turaco with a fluffy whitish crest. Shows large crimson wing patches in flight. An Ethiopian endemic that is found very locally in lush woodland and scrub, often in areas with fruiting trees. Acts like a typical turaco, bouncing through the trees and flying occasionally with short bursts of wingbeats and long glides. Calls include a hollow series of “krow” notes and a series of high-pitched, metallic calls. Similar to White-cheeked Turaco, but easily separated by its pale crest and lack of white facial markings.

Uniform Treehunter

Uniform Treehunter

Thripadectes ignobilis

Medium-sized brownish bird of the lower subtropical zone in the western Andes of Colombia and Ecuador. Plain dark brown with much less streaking than other treehunters; only shows a slightly paler eyebrow and some streaking on the throat. Typically found at lower elevations than other treehunters in range, but some overlap. Western Woodhaunter is found at similar elevations but has a longer, narrower bill and a paler buffy throat. Singles or pairs follow mixed-species flocks through the understory, where they can be skulky and difficult to see. Listen for the song: a slow series of 5-10 squeaky notes.

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