Shiny Whistling-Thrush
Myophonus melanurus
Chunky dark blue bird with a small bill and a short tail. Note iridescent spangling on the neck and brow of the male; female is plainer, with less iridescence. Endemic to Sumatra, where it can be found along streams in damp and mossy mountain and foothill forests. Forages actively on the ground and up in streamside trees. Calls include a piercing descending whistle and strange grating notes.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Myophonus melanurus
- Authority
- (Salvadori, 1879)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Genus
- Myophonus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Pale White-eye
Zosterops flavilateralis
A small, sharp-billed warbler-like bird. Note the yellow underparts and the narrow white spectacles around the eyes. Found in dry thorn savanna, woodland, and scrub. Usually in hyperactive flocks, and often joins mixed flocks. Very similar to African Yellow White-eye, but shows less yellow above the bill, looks more washed-out overall, and prefers drier habitats. Most common call is a high-pitched rising rattle. Song is a quiet, chatty sequence of “chew” notes.
Blue-eyed Ground Dove
Columbina cyanopis
Stunningly beautiful dove that has only recently been rediscovered. Cinnamon-colored overall but paler below. Note the conspicuous dreamy blue eyes and blue wing spots. Now only known from one location in Minas Gerais, Brazil, where it occurs in open savanna and grasslands on white sands and forages in pairs on the ground. Song is a repetition of soft notes: “wah-wha-wha…”
Swamp Harrier
Circus approximans
Long-legged medium-sized raptor with long narrow wings. Adult has varied plumage, but note diagnostic prominent white rump. Juvenile is darker below. Flies slowly and low over open habitats with wings held in shallow V shape. Breeds in reed-beds, and occurs mainly in swamps and wetlands.
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