Bulwer's Pheasant
Lophura bulweri
Uncommon, medium-sized pheasant. Male is almost unbelievable-looking; an immense fan of a snow-white tail sticks out of a rotund, coal-black body. All-rufous-brown female is more normal-looking; her tail is shorter and narrower. Both sexes have sky-blue facial skin, but the male’s extends into wattles, which he erects during display. Found in hilly areas in foothill and montane forest; sometimes nomadic, seeking out fruiting trees.
Identification
Bulwer's pheasant is sexually dimorphic. Males have a total length of about 80 centimetres (31 in), and are black-plumaged with a maroon breast, crimson legs, a pure white tail of long, curved feathers, and bright blue facial skin with two wattles that conceal the sides of its head. Females have a total length of about 55 centimetres (22 in), and are an overall dull brown colour with red legs and blue facial skin.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Lophura bulweri
- Authority
- (Sharpe, 1874)
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- Phasianidae
- Genus
- Lophura
Range and habitat
Bulwer's pheasant is endemic to the island of Borneo. While the species is locally common in protected areas (e.g. Kayan Mentarang National Park, East Kalimantan) it is rarely found elsewhere. The bird inhabits hill and lower montane tropical forest, likely preferring highland rainforests and rarely visiting the lowlands below an altitude of 300 metres (980 ft). The diet consists mainly of fruits, worms, and insects.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Wilson's Bird-of-Paradise
Diphyllodes respublica
A fairly small bird of foothill forest on Waigeo and Batanta islands. Dark blue feet and strange pale blue skin on the top of the head divided by thin, black lines. Male has bottle green chest, red back and yellow on the back of the neck, all or which it can erect into elaborate ornamentation during the display at a court on the ground. Remarkable flattened, curly tail feathers reflect blue. The female is brown above with rufous in the wing and barred below. Unmistakable in range. Male gives a series of loud, downslurred “piuu!” calls, increasing in volume.
Malawi Batis
Batis dimorpha
A cute, dumpy, colorful flycatcher-like bird that flits around in the mid-canopy and understory of forest, forest edge, plantations, and gardens. Males have a broad black chest band, yellow-orange eye, white stripe through the top of the wing, and white throat. Females have an orange eye, buff-and-white stripe through the top of the wing, and rufous chin patch. The song is a series of 8-9 plaintive steady piping “peooop” notes, and calls include buzzing grating “ddrz-drrzt-drrr, ddt-ddzt-drzt-drr”. Female Dark Batis is distinguished by its darker (rich rufous rather than white and buff) wing stripe. Male Dark Batis is very similar, but has a slightly longer tail and broader black breast stripe. Also similar to Chinspot Batis, but has darker orange color to the eyes, and female Malawi Batis shows paler rufous on the throat and buff tinges to the wing stripe.
Glossy Flowerpiercer
Diglossa lafresnayii
This glossy-black flowerpiercer has a distinctive silvery patch on the shoulder. Most similar to Black Flowerpiercer, which is smaller and lacks the shoulder patch in most of its range (although in east Andes in Colombia, Black Flowerpiercer has a small gray shoulder patch). Sexes similar. Also note the typical flowerpiercer bill: uniquely upswept with a hooked tip. Found in the Andes from western Venezuela to northern Peru from around 2,700–3,700 m. Typically seen singly or in pairs foraging at all levels in stunted forest and shrubby woodlands. Usually found in more humid areas than Black Flowerpiercer. Sometimes follows mixed-species flocks.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.