Pied Triller
Lalage nigra
Handsome bird which looks like a slender thrush. Black-and-white male is distinctive, with a white brow, extensive white wing patches, and clean white underparts. Female and juvenile are grungier-looking, with gray-brown replacing much of the black and rather dingy, dirty-looking underparts. Inhabits lowland and foothill forests, parks, and gardens. Contrary to its name, this bird does not usually trill; rather, it gives a range of low notes, particularly a nasal “checka-checkuh” and a rapid series of rattling, clacking, or whistled notes.
Taxonomy
In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description and an illustration of the pied triller in the second volume of his Ornithologie based on a specimen that had been collected in the East Indies. He used the French name Le Merle des Indes and the Latin name Merula Indica. Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. In a section of a book by Johann Reinhold Forster published in 1781 the Welsh naturalist Thomas Pennant coined the binomial name Turdus niger for the pied triller and cited Brisson's work. In 1922 the type location was restricted to Singapore by the American zoologist Outram Bangs. The pied triller is now one of 20 species placed in the genus Lalage that was introduced in 1826 by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie.<p>Three subspecies are recognised:
- Scientific name
- Lalage nigra
- Authority
- (Pennant, 1781)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Campephagidae
- Genus
- Lalage
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Jungle Nightjar
Caprimulgus indicus
Gray-brown nightjar of wooded, open grassy, and scrubby areas; not restricted to jungles. Intricately patterned, with a golden patch behind the ear (often not visible on a resting bird) and pale tan spots on the wings. Male shows bright white patches near the wingtips and on the edges of the tail that are buffy-brown in females. Similar Savanna Nightjar is much more densely patterned and lacks the tan wing spots; Savanna also tends to roost on the ground, versus in trees for Jungle Nightjar. Song is utterly alien-sounding and unique: a long series of bouncing “pooKIHpooKIHpooKIH” notes, comparable to a cartoon laser gun.
Velvety Manakin
Lepidothrix velutina
Small, short-tailed bird found in lowland and foothill rainforest. Male is easy to identify with his glossy black body and azure crown. Female is mostly lime green with a yellowish belly; her plumage is much greener than other similar species such as Choco Manakin and female Red-capped Manakin. Most common call is a short, ringing trill. Male’s display song is a buzzy “purwit!”. Usually seen at lower to middle levels in the forest, plucking berries from fruiting trees. Formerly called Blue-crowned Manakin before that species was split. Velvety Manakin’s range includes Costa Rica, Panama, western Colombia, and northwestern Ecuador.
Chestnut-belted Gnateater
Conopophaga aurita
Plump, short-tailed bird of Amazonian rainforest. Both sexes have a chestnut breast. Male has a black face and throat and a bright white tuft behind the eye. Female lacks black in her plumage, and instead of a tuft she has a pale line through her face. Female is similar to female Ash-throated Gnateater but has plain, unmarked wings. Birds in central Brazil south of the Amazon are now considered a separate species, Black-breasted Gnateater; male Chestnut-belted has less black extending only to upper breast; female looks almost identical. Usually seen on a low perch in the understory and may resemble a small antpitta. Vocalizations include a rattling, metallic trill and a short, soft “chuff”.
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