Manus Boobook
Ninox meeki
A medium-sized brown owl with a rounded head and yellow eyes. Head and upperparts dark brown, with indistinct scattered pale markings above. Chest and belly white with prominent dark streaking. Juvenile shows bolder pale markings above and less heavy streaking below. Occupies forest and more open areas with scattered trees. Confined to Manus. Distinctive: one of only two owl species present on Manus, the other being the very different Manus Masked-Owl, a type of barn-owl. Manus Boobok gives a frog-like song of repetitive rough, curt “grrr” notes.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Ninox meeki
- Authority
- Rothschild & Hartert, EJO, 1914
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Strigidae
- Genus
- Ninox
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Whiskered Treeswift
Hemiprocne comata
Elongated white “whiskers” and brows give this elegant species the appearance of a wise old man. Long-tailed and long-winged, like a cross between a swift and a swallow. Glossy brownish-olive with glossy blue-black wings and head. Male has chestnut ear patches, while the female has bluish ones. Sallies from exposed perches in the canopy and along clearings in lowland and foothill wet forests. Gives squeaky, excited-sounding calls and high-pitched chattering.
Tablas Drongo
Dicrurus menagei
A medium-sized, long-tailed bird of forest canopy on Tablas, where it is the only drongo in range. Entirely black with glossy-blue wings, crown, and streaks on the neck and chest. Similar to Philippine Drongo-Cuckoo but larger, with a thicker bill and a strongly forked tail with upturned tips. Not as vocal as other drongos. Voice includes a grating scold followed by a loud, high-pitched whistle.
Fawn-breasted Wren
Cantorchilus guarayanus
A rather nondescript medium-sized wren. Mostly brown above and rusty below, with a white eyebrow and pied streaked cheeks. Skulks in the undergrowth of seasonally flooded forest and second growth, often near water. The similar Buff-breasted Wren has less strongly marked cheeks and a more complex song. Where the two overlap, Fawn-breasted is more likely to be found in wetter habitats.
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