Ashy Tit
Melaniparus cinerascens
A large grayish tit with a black-and-white head pattern and a black bib. Pairs and small groups favor arid savanna and thorn trees, but also occur in riverine and broadleaf woodland, foraging for insects in small groups or mixed-species flocks. The song is typically a series of short, repeated musical notes “treeuw-treeuw-treeuw-treeuw,” with chattering, trills, or dry buzzing interspersed. The Ashy Tit is similar to two other tits: Miombo Tit is paler gray with a smaller bill and prefers miombo woodland; Gray Tit is browner with buffier underparts and a shorter tail, and inhabits drier coastal scrub and Karoo.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Melaniparus cinerascens
- Authority
- (Vieillot, 1818)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Paridae
- Genus
- Melaniparus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Nomadic movement
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Obscure Berrypecker
Melanocharis arfakiana
A small, rare and little-known bird of foothill forest. Medium gray head and back, pale gray throat and chest, and olive flight feathers. Feeds on small berries in the midstory and sub-canopy. Similar to female Black and Mid-mountain Berrypeckers, but Obscure has an orange base to the bill and a yellow tuft on the sides. Song, a short high-pitch phrase “wichoo-wichiti!”
Southern Masked-Weaver
Ploceus velatus
This red-eyed masked-weaver has a lightly streaked green back and pink-brown legs. The breeding male has a black face mask with a narrow black band on the forehead above the bill. The female and juvenile are dull. The species is an abundant resident throughout open savanna and semi-arid areas, nesting colonially above water or in large trees. Many similar-looking weavers do not overlap in range. The larger and more robust male Village Weaver differs from Southern Masked-Weaver by having a more mottled back; the female Village Weaver has a stouter, more robust bill and a duller red eye.
Noisy Friarbird
Philemon corniculatus
Large gray-brown honeyeater with a completely bare black head and a distinctive "horn" on the bill. Upperparts are gray and underparts are dull white. Completely bare head is unique among the friarbirds. Typically very loud; emits a variety of harsh, loud squawks. Inhabits a wide range of habitats in eastern Australia, including (especially) open forests and gardens and parks, where it is common.
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