Plain Honeyeater
Pycnopygius ixoides
A medium-sized honeyeater of forest and edge from the lowlands to mid-mountains. Almost complete lack of field marks, the best ID feature. It has a small-headed and small-billed appearance, and overall color is dull gray-brown apart from birds in SE New Guinea which are more rufous-brown. Solitary and inconspiduous. Little Shrikethrush has a thicker bill, Tawny-breasted Honeyeater, a facial pattern and Tawny Straightbill has pinkish legs and a straight, pointed bill. Call, a soft “wi-wi-wi” repeated at intervals.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Pycnopygius ixoides
- Authority
- (Salvadori, 1878)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Estrildidae
- Genus
- Pycnopygius
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
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Chlidonias niger
Small tern with an entirely black body in breeding plumage with silvery wings. In the winter, their body is whitish-gray and they are not as conspicuous, but note small size, rather dark gray wings and rump, and black "helmet." Breeds in colonies in freshwater marshes and ponds. Builds a floating nest of plant matter. In migration and winter, often found in flocks. Feeds on insects and small fish.
Rusty-fronted Canastero
Asthenes ottonis
Small, long-tailed bird of high-elevation scrub. Light brown, with reddish wings and tail and small reddish patches on the throat and forehead. Prefers dense shrubby areas, including Polylepis woodland, where it forages secretively within bushes. Its small size, lack of strong streaking, and long, reddish tail distinguish it from similar species within its range. Listen for its energetic song, an accelerating series of high, harsh notes.
Gray-hooded Fulvetta
Fulvetta cinereiceps
Small brown bird with a bulbous gray head and staring white eyes. Typically moves about in small groups in low, dense areas such as scrubby patches and bamboo stands. Found at middle to upper elevations. Song is a distinctive and memorable series of three whistled notes: the first two notes ascend (second note noticeably longer), and the third note descends.
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