Madagascar Forest Rail
Mentocrex kioloides
Chunky rail with rich rufous coloration and a gray patch on the face. Found on the floor of eastern and northern rainforest, though it nests in trees. Usually in pairs or small groups. Very shy, and looks almost like a mammal when scurrying away from disturbance. Most common call is a long, ringing series of “kheow” notes. Also gives deep grunts and an explosive “tshak” call. Similar to Brown Mesite, but chunkier and shorter-tailed, with darker underparts. Told from Tsingy Wood-Rail by range. Smaller than White-throated Rail, with a shorter bill and a much smaller white throat patch.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Mentocrex kioloides
- Authority
- (Pucheran, 1845)
- Order
- Gruiformes
- Family
- Sarothruridae
- Genus
- Mentocrex
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Cardinal Woodpecker
Dendropicos fuscescens
A small, compact woodpecker with heavily streaked underparts and a solid black moustachial streak. In the female the top of the head is completely dark, while in the male the forecrown is brown and hindcrown and nape are red. Pairs inhabit a wide range of savanna, woodland, forest-edge, and riverine forest, where they feed in dead branches and smaller twigs ignored by larger woodpeckers. An angry-sounding, dry, trilled rattle call often gives it away.
Yellow-bellied Waxbill
Coccopygia quartinia
Small, pretty, montane waxbill. Note the bicolored black-and-red bill, gray head, yellow belly, olive back, and black tail. The red rump is conspicuous in flight. Found at middle and high elevations in lush scrub, gardens, cultivation, grassland, and forest edge. Often feeds on the grass along road edges. Usually in small flocks. The call is a clear “swee,” often given in flight.
Rinjani Scops-Owl
Otus jolandae
A small brown owl with feathered ear tufts and yellow eyes, restricted to Lombok. Mostly brown with scattered white and pale markings on wings, sparsely streaked underparts, and a clear “double” facial disk with both blackish and white borders. Found in various forests and plantations in the lowlands and foothills. Distinctive: the only small owl on Lombok, and the only owl there with ear tufts. Gives a single note song, “woot,” ascending slightly at the end.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.