Chestnut-crowned Bush Warbler
Cettia major
Medium-sized bush warbler. Brown with a white throat, pale buffy brow, and rufous crown. Gray-sided Bush Warbler is similar but smaller, with a whiter brow stripe and paler, more gray-toned sides. Chestnut-crowned can be separated from other bush warblers by a combination of its size, bright rufous crown, and strong head pattern. Breeds in foothill and montane areas up to the treeline; prefers dense shrubby areas, particularly with an abundance of rhododendrons. In the winter, descends into lower foothill and lowland areas with scrubby edge growth. Song is a sharp, high “tih-wih-wih-wihr.” Calls include a sharp, bunting-like “tseep.”
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Cettia major
- Authority
- (Moore, F, 1854)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Cettiidae
- Genus
- Cettia
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Vertical migration
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Selasphorus platycercus
Common hummingbird of high elevations. Breeds in open woodland with meadows and scrub. In winter, found at lower elevations. Male is distinctive in range with beautiful rosy-red throat and glistening green upperparts. Female is duller with buffy sides and speckled throat. Note broadly rounded tail feathers with restricted rufous. Feeds on nectar and small insects. Visits feeders.
Echo Parakeet
Psittacula eques
Fairly large, long-tailed bright green parakeet of the island of Mauritius. Males have a red bill, a black chin, and a pink-and-black collar. Females are duller, with a black bill. Endangered; found locally in and around remnant patches of humid forest. The call is a honking, nasal “kraa” that is usually repeated in quick sequence, lower-pitched than the typical high-pitched shrieks of Rose-ringed Parakeet. Very similar in appearance to that species, but separated by vocalizations, richer green overall plumage, and shorter and broader wings; females are easily separated by their black rather than red bills.
Vulturine Parrot
Pyrilia vulturina
Medium-sized, largely green parrot with a striking head pattern. The head is featherless with a combination of orange, black, and yellow bristles. Note the orange shoulder and, in flight, the red underwings. Found in the canopy of humid forest. Call is a distinctive nasal series of “tree ... trayaweet” notes.
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