Spinifexbird
Poodytes carteri
A flat-crowned, plain brownish bird with a long tail found in arid spinifex/tussock grassland in inland Australia. Fairly secretive and skulking but inquisitive. Compare Australian Reed-Warbler and Tawny Grassbird, both species of much wetter grasslands, not spinifex habitats. Compare also Rufous Songlark, which has a different song, more patterned back, and rusty rump. Song is a variety of chirped phrases, similar to reed warblers.
Identification
It has a rich brown cap, golden brown streaked wings, and a long tail. Both sexes are alike.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Poodytes carteri
- Authority
- (North, 1900)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Locustellidae
- Genus
- Poodytes
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Its diet comprises a variety of insects and seeds collected in "spinifex" or Triodia grass. This species flies weakly, with its tail drooping. It tends to be solitary and sedentary. The breeding season of the spinifexbird stretches from August to November. Its nest is a shallow cup built in clumps of Triodia grass close to the ground, usually with a clutch of two eggs. Not globally threatened, the species may be common in suitable habitats, although it is rarely seen due to the remote and arid nature of its habitat.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Taita White-eye
Zosterops silvanus
A small, sharp-billed warbler-like bird. Note the olive-green back, the yellow throat and undertail, and the ridiculously broad white spectacles around the eyes. Found in the Taita Hills of southeast Kenya, in montane forest, forest edge, exotic tree plantations, and lush gardens and scrub. Usually in hyperactive pairs or flocks. Separated from similar broad-ringed white-eyes by range. Somewhat similar to African Yellow and Pale White-eyes, but found at higher elevations, and eye-ring is much broader. Song is a subdued, chatty sequence of “chew” notes. Calls include a high-pitched rising rattle, chattering notes, and “chew” notes like those from the song.
Ijima's Leaf Warbler
Phylloscopus ijimae
An uncommon migrant songbird through Taiwan, rarely encountered anywhere away from breeding grounds on Izu and Tokara Islands, Japan. Olive above and whitish below; best distinguished from similar species by narrow bill with yellowish lower mandible, brownish-pink legs, and weak head pattern. Prefers mature coastal broadleaf forests but uses bamboo patches and conifers during migration as well. Smaller than Eastern Crowned Leaf Warbler, with thinner bill and no crown stripe. Song consists of a series of trills; calls, given often, include a descending “twee” or quiet “pee.”
Bryan's Shearwater
Puffinus bryani
Smallest known shearwater. Tiny, black and white shearwater with rapidly fluttering wingbeats and an entirely white face. Little is known about this species, though it differs from the very similar Rapa Shearwater by having a black undertail, shorter tail and being paler grayish black.
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