Forbes's Forest Rail

Medium-sized streaky foliage-gleaner, which hangs upside-down on branches and probes clusters of dead leaves, especially bromeliads in montane forests. Head and underparts are streaky with a well-marked eyebrow. Its pale throat contrasts with its rufous back and tail. The song is a repeated, sharp nasal “sreep-sreep.”

Typical colorful minivet with red-and-black males and gray-and-yellow females. Male is very similar to Scarlet and Short-billed Minivets, but has a lumpy fork on the wing instead of a jagged ‘lightning bolt’ as in those two species. Female can be identified by a similarly simple wing patch and less extensive yellow on the head than Short-billed and Scarlet Minivets. Both sexes average longer-tailed than similar species. Usually found in pairs or small flocks in mid- to high-altitude forests. Gives a pleasant “dee-dee” and a rolling “pr’wee, pr’wee!”.

Endemic to the Barusan Islands, off Sumatra’s northwest coast. Dark gingery brown overall, with a slightly lighter head. The only cuckoo-dove on the Barusans, except for Simeulue, where Little Cuckoo-Dove also occurs; note Barusan’s larger size and darker rust-brown chest. Inhabits forested areas in the lowlands and foothills of the Barusans. Similar in habits to other cuckoo-doves: shy and sluggish, typically foraging singly in the middle and lower levels of forest. Gives a three-part series of cooing hoots, “woo-woo-wooOOH”; may sound like just one rising hoot at a distance.