Slender-billed Flufftail
Sarothrura watersi
Tiny, rare, skulking rail-like bird that is unlikely to be seen unless you’re expressly looking for it at a handful of known sites. Male has rich rufous and olive-green color, while female is a subdued dark brown. Found in a few wetlands at middle and high elevations in eastern Madagascar, usually adjacent to rainforest. Call is an odd and earthy series of “tduk” calls, sometimes given singly and sometimes in triplets. Longer-billed than the much more common Madagascar Flufftail, and both sexes of Slender-billed Flufftail have duller coloration.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Sarothrura watersi
- Authority
- (Bartlett, E, 1880)
- Order
- Gruiformes
- Family
- Sarothruridae
- Genus
- Sarothrura
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Long-billed Bush Warbler
Locustella major
Extremely rare, large, elongated brown warbler with a long slender bill. Fairly similar in appearance to West Himalayan, Chinese, Baikal, and Spotted Bush Warblers, but breeding ranges do not overlap. Like other bush warblers, typically very skulking and furtive, preferring to run instead of fly when threatened. Emerges onto small bushes to sing, producing a dull clicking that would underwhelm a grasshopper. Breeds in weedy and bushy slopes in open alpine and subalpine areas; wintering habitat poorly understood but presumed to be similar habitat at lower altitudes. Very few sightings in recent years.
White-rumped Swallow
Tachycineta leucorrhoa
A small swallow usually seen flying low over open and semiopen areas near water. Glossy blue-green above and white below. Note the white forehead and rump. Similar to White-winged Swallow, but lacks white in wings (although juvenile White-winged can show limited white). Told from Chilean Swallow by the presence of a white forehead.
Common Myna
Acridotheres tristis
A large, black-and-brown myna with white wing patches, yellow bill, and yellow legs. Gregarious and often found in noisy flocks. Aggressive, often driving away other birds. Can be found just about anywhere but the densest forests. Native to southern Asia, where it is among the most common species. Widely introduced elsewhere in the world, including Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii.
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