Sulawesi Serpent-Eagle
Spilornis rufipectus
A large, broad-winged dark raptor. Adults show a short crest, a blackish head with yellow facial skin, a chocolate-brown back, and rust-colored underparts with extensive white speckling. In flight appears blackish with a conspicuous single broad white bar on the rear of the wings and tail. Immatures pale, with dark mask, boldly streaked underparts, and dark chocolate upperside. In flight, note extensive dark markings on underwings. Inhabits forests, edges, rice paddies, and sparsely wooded areas from lowlands to mountains. Confined to Sulawesi and the Banggai and Sula Islands. Speckled rusty underside identifies perched adults, dark mask perched immatures. In flight, distinguished from all other local raptors by white bar on rear wing and tail of adults, and by bold streaking below in immatures. Gives strident “kew” calls, sometimes with inflection: “kew-di-lew.”
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Spilornis rufipectus
- Authority
- Gould, 1858
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Accipitridae
- Genus
- Spilornis
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Black-and-red Broadbill
Cymbirhynchus macrorhynchos
Utterly unmistakable inhabitant of waterside and riverine lowland evergreen forests, mangroves, and plantations. Midnight black with long white slashes on each wing, wine-red underparts, and a black chinstrap. Bulbous bill is glowingly powder-blue with warm tinges of orange and greenish-yellow. During the breeding season, the pendulous nests of this species can be quite obvious, hanging over forested waterways. Voice is nasal and generally unpleasant-sounding, consisting of odd low mechanical rasps.
Black-capped Tanager
Stilpnia heinei
Small, active tanager with notably different male and female plumages. Male is steely blue overall with slightly darker wings. Look for sea-green throat and cheek, streaked upper breast, and contrasting black cap and nape. Female is mostly lime green with pale bluish head and breast; she has just a ghosting of the male’s black cap. Usually found in pairs, often following a mixed-species flock in the canopy. An Andean species, found in subtropical forest, edges, and gardens. Visits fruit feeders.
Black-legged Seriema
Chunga burmeisteri
Tall terrestrial predator of the Chaco region. Plumage distinctively shaggy. Prefers dense, spiny vegetation, often with thick undergrowth, but can occur in nearby open areas. Smaller and shyer than Red-legged Seriema. Despite its large size, can be difficult to see, and is more often detected by its loud, far-carrying song.
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