Yellow-throated Sparrow
Gymnoris xanthocollis
A small, drab, unstreaked sparrow with one, sometimes two prominent white wingbars. Gray-brown above, pale brown to whitish on underparts. Male has an indistinct eyebrow, an inconspicuous pale yellow spot on throat, and light chestnut on shoulders. Juvenile resembles female. The familiar call is a distinctive “chilp” that it gives mostly while perching high. Inhabits light forests, scrub jungles, villages, and cultivated areas.
Identification
It has a finer bill than typical sparrows of the genus Passer and unlike them has no streaks on the plumage. The white double wing bar on the shoulder is diagnostic on the otherwise dull grey-brown sparrow. Males have a chestnut shoulder patch which can sometimes be hard to see. They also have a pale yellow spot on the throat in fresh plumage. Females are duller and lack the chestnut shoulder patch. The yellow spot is much reduced or lacking in females.<p>This species is tree-loving although sometimes seen on wires and on the ground, where it has a hopping gait. The usual call is a chirrup but the song is distinctive and repetitive chilp chalp cholp. It has a bounding flight and dips deeply before rising up.
Taxonomy
This species has sometimes been lumped along with the yellow-spotted petronia (Petronia pyrgita) of Africa.<p>Currently, two subspecies are recognized:
- Scientific name
- Gymnoris xanthocollis
- Authority
- (Burton, E, 1838)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Passeridae
- Genus
- Gymnoris
Range and habitat
The chestnut-shouldered petronia is found from Turkey into Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and as a vagrant in Sri Lanka and possibly parts of Myanmar. It is found in forest, gardens and open scrub habitats.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The species breeds in tree hollows from April to July, often making use of the holes made by primary hole-nesting birds such as barbets and woodpeckers. They may also make use of hollows on buildings. The nest is built mainly by the female, but males may sometimes assist. The female alone incubates the eggs, sometimes leaving the nest during the hotter parts of the day. The eggs hatch after about 12 to 14 days.<p>They roost communally in low bushes. Some populations are migratory, moving in response to rains.<p>They feed mainly on grains but also on insects, nectar and berries. An unusual food item is the petals of flowers such as those of Madhuca indica. When they visit flowers such as those of Capparis, Salmalia, Erythrina and Bassia, their foreheads are covered with pollen.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
South Island Robin
Petroica australis
A small charcoal-colored songbird endemic to New Zealand. Confined to the South and Stewart Islands. Favors native and exotic forest stands. Males have a more distinct separation between dark gray and cream on their chest than females. Juveniles mirror the look of a female but with less to no cream underneath. Can be incredibly confiding and curious about humans. It is possible to bring individuals out into the open by disturbing leaf litter and then sitting quietly. Actively flushes out prey with foot trembling and by flicking its wings and tail. Male song is a loud and simple phrase of notes including “pwee-pwee-pwee.”
Large-tailed Dove
Leptotila megalura
A medium sized, chunky dove of the interandean dry valleys, yungas, and Tucumán forest with mixed Podocarpus and alders. Often alone or in pairs. Orbital ring varies from blue-purple north of the bend in the Andes to red south of this bend. Range overlaps with the very similar White-tipped Dove, and is best separated by voice, and, in some populations, orbital skin color (blue in White-tipped Dove). Iris also generally darker than White-tipped Dove. Most often found and easily identified by its low-pitched, stuttering song.
Miombo Barbet
Tricholaema frontata
A mid-sized, stocky, black-and-white barbet with a yellowish eyebrow, red forecrown spot and heavily spotted underparts. It is a low-density resident in broadleaved woodland, particularly Miombo (Brachystegia) and Burkea, where it is mostly solitary, but occasionally joins flocks to forage. Similar Pied and Red-fronted barbets have neater faces, lacking the brownish ears and scaly sides to the throat of Miombo Barbet, and their ranges barely overlap. Calls a distinctive melancholy “poooop” 6–7 times, often accompanied with a nasal repeated “nyeeeeaar”.
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