Collared Babbler
Gampsorhynchus torquatus
Strangely shrike-like babbler with a hook-tipped bill. Body is warm dirt-brown and head is white; some birds possess brown splotches or speckles on the crown. Birds in the northern part of the range have black collars of varying extent separating the white of the head from the brown of the body. Similar to White-hooded Babbler, but Collared’s white head is more sharply demarcated, ending promptly at the breast instead of extending down to the belly. Flocks give loud rattling calls as they move through thick undergrowth, particularly bamboo stands, in lowland and foothill forests.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Gampsorhynchus torquatus
- Authority
- Hume, 1874
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Timaliidae
- Genus
- Gampsorhynchus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Sunda Scimitar-Babbler
Pomatorhinus bornensis
An attractive, fierce-eyed babbler of tropical lowland and lower montane rainforest. Black head with prominent, long, white eyebrow, white from the throat to mid-belly, contrasting strongly with remaining dark maroon body. Note the slightly decurved, horn-colored bill. Forages singly or in pairs through the midstorey, sometimes joining mixed species flocks. Unmistakable if seen well. Calls variable, but commonly gives a soft “wu-tu” with a rising “whip!” before or after. A second bird sometimes follows with a long sputtering series of notes.
Henderson Island Reed Warbler
Acrocephalus taiti
A large warbler with a variably white head and body. Crown and uppersides often mottled olive-brown and white, underside often tinted yellow. Wing feathers and tail darker. Found in undisturbed forest. Common call is a high-pitched single note. Not known to sing.
Tiny Hawk
Microspizias superciliosus
Well-named, this is truly a small hawk, although size can be difficult to judge. Look for fine barring on the underparts, darker cap, and relatively short tail. Adults are gray, juveniles warmer rufous. Lacks a conspicuous collar wrapping around the neck, as in Semicollared Hawk. Not frequently seen; often stays inside forests, where it hunts small birds. Sometimes perches at the forest edge. Almost always seen singly.
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