Taliabu Bush Warbler
Locustella portenta
A recently described species endemic to the declining montane forests of Taliabu. Dark, sparrow-sized warbler with a scruffy-looking, graduated tail. Dark above, with a pale eyebrow and throat; very similar in appearance to Seram, Sulawesi, and Buru Bush Warblers, all formerly grouped under “Chestnut-backed Bush Warbler.” Secretive and skulky, moving about stealthily in dense vegetation on or near the ground. Darker above and dingier below than migrant grasshopper warblers such as Gray’s and Middendorff’s, and with a prominent white throat. Song is a series of extremely high, thin notes: “tzi’eeee, tzi’eeee, tzi’eeee.”
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Locustella portenta
- Authority
- Rheindt, Prawiradilaga, Ashari, Suparno & Gwee, 2020
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Locustellidae
- Genus
- Locustella
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Subdesert Brush-Warbler
Nesillas lantzii
Medium-sized pale-brown bird with a long, spiky tail. Endemic to Madagascar, where it is found in southwestern spiny forest and scrub. Skulks in thick undergrowth. Incessantly given call is a Geiger counter-like ticking. Paler brown than Madagascar Brush-Warbler, with a higher-pitched call and little overlap in range. Similar to Madagascar Swamp-Warbler, but is paler, has less distinct breast streaking and a white eyebrow, and is generally found in scrub or spiny forest rather than marsh.
Whistling Kite
Haliastur sphenurus
Large sandy-colored raptor. In flight it has a strong underwing pattern, and holds its wings in a bent M-shape. Tail is relatively long and slightly rounded. Calls loudly with a distinctive repeated whistle. Common along coasts and waterways where it scavenges for fish.
Golden Cuckooshrike
Campochaera sloetii
A medium-sized bird of foothill forest canopy and clearings, often perching out on open branches. Bright yellow belly, dirty yellow back, black tail and black wing with white lines and a white forehead. Throat and chest are black in males and gray in females. Golden Monarch is somewhat similar, but Golden Cuckooshrike is much larger and lacks the white spot below the eye. Golden Myna lacks the white line in the wing. Voice, an explosive “syup!”, double “syup-yup!” or a more rapid series.
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