Woodhouse's Antpecker
Parmoptila woodhousei
A small, slender-billed, warbler-like waxbill that is speckled and barred underneath with a reddish face and throat and a rather uniformly brown crown, back, wings, and tail. Forages in the understory and on the ground primarily for ants, alone or in small groups, sometimes in association with ant swarms and mixed-species flocks. Calls include soft whistled “ptiee” notes and repeated high-pitched descending whistles.
Identification
The male has a bright red fore crown, brown under parts, the adult female is brown above with a rufous-brown wash to the throat and scaled brown and white from the breast to the vent.
Taxonomy
Genus: Parmoptila; Family: Estrildidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Parmoptila woodhousei
- Authority
- Cassin, 1859
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Estrildidae
- Genus
- Parmoptila
Range and habitat
Woodhouse's antpecker inhabits subtropical or tropical lowland moist forest at Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda. It is found in forest from 700-1800 m, where it actively forages in tangled vines and creepers in the undergrowth. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 190,000 km2.<p>In Uganda it can be seen in Budongo Central Forest Reserve within the Nature Reserve known as N15 (Nyakafunjo Block 15).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds

Red-headed Bluebill
Spermophaga ruficapilla
Pretty member of the waxbill family that has a massive, conical bill. Males have a black belly and females a spotted one, and both sexes show an all-red head. Found in rainforest, gallery forest, thickets, and secondary habitats. Usually in pairs or small groups, in areas with thick undergrowth, and usually some grass. Sometimes on roads and paths. Vocalizations include a quiet “schpit” call and a rarely-heard whistled song. Similar to Grant’s Bluebill, but separated by all-red head. Male similar to male Black-bellied Seedcracker, but separated by its black tail and its red-and-blue rather than all-blue bill.

Moustached Treeswift
Hemiprocne mystacea
An enormous, long-tailed swift of lowland and foothill forest edge. In flight, long, thin wings with a white line behind the black trailing edge, and a long, forked tail usually held to a point. When perched in trees, shows 2 white plumes along the face, and males have a rusty ear-patch between. Often seen flying at dawn and dusk. The only treeswift in its range and no other swift comes close to the size or tail length. A sharp “kwik! kwik! kwik” or downward, raptorlike “kweeuu!”.

Pohnpei Flycatcher
Myiagra pluto
Small monarch flycatcher with uniformly dark glossy plumage. Endemic to Pohnpei Island, where it is the only small all-dark bird on the island; male Micronesian Starling is also glossy and dark, but is much larger, with yellow eyes. Inhabits forests and forest edges, often “flycatching” from a perch close to the ground. Gives a series of bright rising whistles, as well as a squeaky descending chatter and harsh rasping notes.
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