Dark-throated Oriole
Oriolus xanthonotus
A streak-breasted oriole with a rather long, lipstick-pink bill. Male is yellow with a glossy black hood and dark wings. Female is olive-green above. Both sexes have dark red eyes. On Borneo absent from the northern parts of the island, where replaced by the very similar Ventriloquial Oriole. Inhabits lowland and hill forests and forest edges, typically moving in the upper levels of the forest. Sometimes found singly, sometimes in pairs or mixed flocks. Song is short but fluidly melodic, often with the last note stretched out. Gives a harsh, jay-like “chew!”.
Taxonomy
The dark-throated oriole was formerly considered to be conspecific with the ventriloquial oriole (Oriolus consobrinus). The dark-throated oriole is sometimes considered to form a superspecies with the Philippine oriole and the Isabela oriole. Alternate names for the dark-throated oriole include the black-headed oriole, black-throated oriole and Malaysian oriole. The alternate name 'black-headed oriole' should not be confused with the species of the same name, Oriolus larvatus.<p>Two subspecies are recognized:
- Scientific name
- Oriolus xanthonotus
- Authority
- Horsfield, 1821
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Oriolidae
- Genus
- Oriolus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Ashy-fronted Bulbul
Pycnonotus cinereifrons
A drab medium-sized bird of lowland forest and edge on Palawan and neighboring islands. Dull brown overall with paler brown underparts and a whitish throat and center of the belly. Note the fine streaking on the cheek and the olive edging to the wing and tail feathers. Somewhat similar to Sulphur-bellied Bulbul, but Ashy-fronted lacks the yellow belly and pale eye. Song consists of very short, medium-pitched warbled phrases, repeated at short intervals.
Velvety Manakin
Lepidothrix velutina
Small, short-tailed bird found in lowland and foothill rainforest. Male is easy to identify with his glossy black body and azure crown. Female is mostly lime green with a yellowish belly; her plumage is much greener than other similar species such as Choco Manakin and female Red-capped Manakin. Most common call is a short, ringing trill. Male’s display song is a buzzy “purwit!”. Usually seen at lower to middle levels in the forest, plucking berries from fruiting trees. Formerly called Blue-crowned Manakin before that species was split. Velvety Manakin’s range includes Costa Rica, Panama, western Colombia, and northwestern Ecuador.
Viridian Metaltail
Metallura williami
Short-billed hummingbird found near tree line in the high Andes. Male is deep green with a dark and sometimes glittering throat patch; female is similar but lacks throat patch and is scaled buff or rufous below. Tail color varies geographically; it can be green or blue, and it can even show a bit of rufous on top, though never as much as the tail of Tyrian Metaltail. Feeds on small flowers in páramo and at the edge of elfin forest.
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