Himalayan Bluetail
Tarsiger rufilatus
Brightly-colored adult male is unmistakable in range: blazing sapphire blue with orange flanks and white throat and belly. Female is brown with a white throat, orange flanks, and pale blue rump and tail. Red-flanked Bluetail can be confusing where the two overlap in the latter’s migratory and winter range; note Himalayan’s brighter blue eyebrow and brighter, deeper blue upperparts in the male. Female is slightly more grayish than Red-flanked, but this identification can be much more difficult, and females may not be safely separable if not with male. Himalayan’s song is a simple, repeated “tcher-thcew-wee!”. Breeds in submontane forest up to the treeline; descends in the winter, often moving into edge habitats. A frequent sight along forest tracks.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Tarsiger rufilatus
- Authority
- (Hodgson, 1845)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Genus
- Tarsiger
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Indian Silverbill
Euodice malabarica
Small, long-tailed finch with a chunky body and short, stout bill. Gray-brown above and pale below with a whitish rump and black-pointed tail. Highly sociable throughout the year. Found in semidesert, scrub, and dry woodland but also proliferates in urban areas. Distribution is centered on the Indian subcontinent, but it is a popular cage bird and feral populations are widespread. Gives sharp “tsik” and “tseet” calls.
Brown-hooded Gull
Chroicocephalus maculipennis
Handsome hooded gull of southern South America and Falklands. Commonest in coastal areas, but also ranges inland to lakes, rivers, dumps, and fields. Extensively to wholly white wingtip is distinctive in all plumages. Breeding adult has dark brown hood (often looks black at a distance) with a white eyering. Immature and nonbreeding plumages have a distinct dark spot on cheeks. Compare with Gray-hooded Gull, which occurs with Brown-hooded in Argentina and the larger Andean Gull, which overlaps locally in central Chile.
Woodford's Rail
Gallirallus woodfordi
A very dark short-tailed rail, often appearing entirely black. Dark brown on the wings and back, with black on the neck, head, and underparts. Bill yellowish or gray. Flightless. Occurs in damp lowland grassland and grassy thickets within forest. Sounds include a series of sharp yelping and squealing “kik-kik” noises.
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