Amur Paradise-Flycatcher

Terpsiphone incei

Adult male comes in two morphs, rufous and white; both have a black hood, white underparts, black head, short crest, and bright blue eyerings, but they differ in the color of the upperparts. Breeding males have a long tail twice the length of the body. Female and immature male similar but tail much shorter, and plumage duller overall. Female and young male similar to Japanese Paradise-Flycatcher but brighter rufous above, with a sharper demarcation between the black chest and white belly. Also compare with Blyth’s Paradise-Flycatcher where their ranges overlap. Breeds in broadleaf lowland and hill forests; also in more open habitats in migration and in winter. Song a series of descending fluty whistles; call a staccato, nasal chatter.

Identification

Males can come in two forms differing in the colour of their upperparts. Otherwise, all adult males have black hoods, white underparts, small crests, and blue eye rings. While breeding, the males can have tails twice the length of the body.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Terpsiphone incei
Authority
(Gould, 1852)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Monarchidae
Genus
Terpsiphone

Range and habitat

Breeding range
OR : c China to ne China, se Russia and North Korea
Non-breeding range
to se Asia and Sumatra
Migration
Complete migrants

Conservation

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

Collared Flycatcher

Collared Flycatcher

Ficedula albicollis

Males are striking black-and-white flycatchers with a conspicuous complete white collar, all dark tail, and white rump. Females can be difficult to separate from other flycatchers but have a large white primary patch on the wing. Breeds in deciduous forests, nesting in cavities and quick to take advantage of nest boxes. Spends much of the non-breeding season in miombo and other broad-leaved woodlands. The song is a high-pitched series of whistled notes; alarm call is a dry "pik."

Rufous-shafted Woodstar

Rufous-shafted Woodstar

Chaetocercus jourdanii

Tiny, mostly green bumblebee-like hummingbird with a straight bill, glittering magenta throat, white chest band and sides of rump, and short forked tail. Female very different, with buffy underparts, dark brown ears, and unforked rufous tail with a black band. Found in cloud forest, edges, second growth, and gardens, with some seasonal movements. Often hard to see, but sometimes perches at the top of bare branches. In Andes, compare to the similar Gorgeted Woodstar; male Gorgeted has longer purple feathers on the throat, and female lacks green central tail feathers. At lower elevations compare with Amethyst Woodstar, in which the male has a longer tail and female has a whitish throat and black tail tipped with white. Restricted to Colombia and Venezuela.

Guanay Cormorant

Guanay Cormorant

Leucocarbo bougainvilliorum

Locally abundant coastal cormorant of Humboldt Current. The species name is linked to the famous guano islands of Peru. Can be seen as singles, but usually seen in flocks, sometimes many thousands feeding, nesting, and roosting in dense masses or commuting in endless streams. Associates readily with pelicans, boobies, other cormorants, and Inca Terns. Adult is handsome with a distinctive “dinner dress” pattern of white extending up into neck and a red patch around the eye. Immature has similar pattern, but is brownish above and the plumage is duller overall.

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Amur Paradise-Flycatcher | BirdLens