White-tailed Warbler
Poliolais lopezi
Males appear overall gray, with a darker back and cap and a paler belly and throat. Females are similar but with reddish tones to the head. All individuals have extremely short tails with bright white outer tail feathers. An easily overlooked, diminutive warbler of montane forests, where it is often found in shaded thickets. Calls include a typewriter-like trill and nasal “nya nya nya” calls. Birds will sometimes duet, with the female giving nasal calls and the male giving clear, often paired whistles. Birds on Bioko also give a whistled “wheet” that rises in pitch.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Poliolais lopezi
- Authority
- (Alexander, 1903)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Cisticolidae
- Genus
- Poliolais
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
White-rumped Robin
Melanodryas bimaculata
A fairly small bird of foothill forest understory. Black plumage with obvious white mark in front of the shoulder, and white both above and below the base of the tail. Belly is white in most of the range but black in the northeast. Very similar to Pied Bushchat but White-rumped Robin has a white patch in front of rather than on the shoulder, and lives in forest rather than grassland. A series of medium-pitch whistled notes starting with a single higher note.
Siamese Pied Starling
Gracupica floweri
A striking black-and-white starling of muddy paddyfields and damp grazing lands. Seen in loose flocks, often close to human habitation. Black chest and upperparts, with white belly, rump, cheek and shoulder stripe. Note the pointed, yellowish bill with an orange base. Somewhat similar to Black-collared Starling, but smaller with an orange rather than yellow bare patch around its eye. Noisy with a variety of calls that includes mimicked sounds of other birds.
Thrush-like Antpitta
Myrmothera campanisona
Common, but shy and rarely seen bird of lowland rainforests, especially those with a moderate amount of disturbance. Identifiable by plump, tailless shape and plain appearance. Hops on the ground searching for insects in leaf litter. Sings from low perches, often in impenetrable vegetation in large, old treefall gaps. Song a low, far-carrying series of cooing notes on one pitch. Similar to Tepui Antpitta but does not overlap in elevation; song slightly different.
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