Talaud Kingfisher

A small, gray-brown, heavily scaled and barred waxbill. The male has a characteristic red crescent throat band that the female and juvenile lack. Pairs and flocks are resident in arid thorn scrub, dry broadleaf woodland, and grassy scrub. The species joins flocks with other seedeaters in the non-breeding season. The female Red-headed Finch looks similar to the smaller female Cut-throat, but differs in its plain (not barred) head and its white-tipped outer tail.

The combination of a red bill, yellow-green eye-ring, and brown (not black) undertail are characteristic of this firefinch. The male has a pink face, crown, and underparts, while the female is mostly brown with a small pink patch between the eye and bill and a pink upper tail. Pairs and small flocks are resident in a variety of grassy savanna habitats and in cultivation, where they feed on the ground for seeds and fly into trees when disturbed. The species may join mixed-species flocks and often drinks or bathes. It gives a melodic “swee-tee-eeer” song and a spitting, tinny “prrrrrt” call. The Bar-breasted Firefinch is very similar to the Red-billed Firefinch, but has a brown (not reddish) crown; the Brown Firefinch has a brown rump.

Largest hummingbird in the world, with its size compensating for rather drab plumage; no similar species. Plumage is drab greenish above with a big whitish rump patch and dingy below with variable rusty tones and dusky spotting. Favors rather open and dry habitats from matorral and gardens to Andean scrub; often perches conspicuously atop bushes or on roadside wires. Flight is “slow” with powerful wingbeats, often hovering in jerky manner and chasing insects. Loud sharp calls can draw attention.