White Monjita

Slender, dusty-colored babbler with a long tail. Look for its contrasting white throat and streaked crown and back. Found in dry open areas such as semidesert, scrubland, and various edge habitats. Rummages about on the ground in mid-sized to large flocks. Gives a clear, musical, purring series of notes, either ascending or descending, as well as harsher, scratchier calls.

A huge pale-headed kingfisher with a massive bill. Buff-colored head, underside, and rump contrast with blackish-brown upperparts. Bill usually black, but on Banggai, it is largely orange. Juveniles show dark fringing to breast and nape feathers. Tied to coastal watercourses, particularly mangroves, but also found in scrub, estuaries, and shrubby cliffsides, typically singly or in pairs, often perching well above the water. Unique within limited range. Gives strident “kek-kek-kek” calls and mournful “kew-kew-kew” whistles.

A nest parasite that lays its eggs in the nests of Yellow-winged Pytilias. As with other whydahs, breeding males are spectacular and bizarre, whereas non-breeding males and females are drab and inconspicuous. Breeding males are mostly black with a rufous breast, a yellow back of the neck, and a long, narrow tail. Non-breeding male and female plumages are poorly known, but show a streaky brownish back and pale underparts. Generally scarce and local in savanna and cultivated areas. Breeding male similar to other paradise-whydahs, but has a longer and narrower tail. Separation of non-breeding male and female from other paradise-whydahs is poorly understood. Not very vocal, but does mimic Yellow-winged Pytilia vocalizations, which include simple, nasal “teew” notes.