Gray-banded Munia
Lonchura vana
A very localised but locally common, small bird of mid-montane grasslands on the Bird’s Head of New Guinea. Gray-brown back, pale gray head, white face, yellow rump and tail. Rufous belly and gray chest demarcated by a pale gray band. Forms small flocks in wet grasslands where it is easily seen along roads. No other munia species co-occur with this species. Call, soft tweeting notes.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Lonchura vana
- Authority
- (Hartert, EJO, 1930)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Estrildidae
- Genus
- Lonchura
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Sitta pusilla
Small nuthatch of pine woodlands in the southeastern U.S. Note brown cap and pale off-white underparts. Very similar plumage to Pygmy Nuthatch, but no range overlap. Usually occurs in small flocks high in the crowns of pine trees, sometimes mixed with other songbirds. Listen for squeaky calls, very much like a toy rubber ducky.
Gray-eyed Greenlet
Hylophilus amaurocephalus
Small, green vireo-like bird found in forests, woodlands, and shrubby areas where it regularly accompanies mixed-species flocks. Note the cinnamon crown contrasting with a streaky gray face, pale throat, olive-green upperparts, and paler underparts. Similar to Rufous-crowned Greenlet, but with gray rather than dark eyes. The song is a slow repetitive “tchui-tchui-tchui.”
Yellow-legged Buttonquail
Turnix tanki
Hardly bigger than a sparrow, this odd little ground bird has a disproportionately loud song. The booming hoots the female gives during the breeding season are often the easiest way to find this species in the open grassy habitats it occupies. Females are more vividly colored than males, with a bright orange breast and nape, yellow belly, white throat, and speckled gray upperparts. Males have a faded version of the same general color scheme, but have less spotting on the breast and a tan throat.
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