Sclater's Whistler
Pachycephala soror
A medium-sized bird of mid-montane forest. Yellow belly, olive back and white throat. Male has a black head and border to the throat. Female has a brown head and diffuse olive chest band. The male is similar to several other golden whistlers but lacks the yellow patch behind the head. Female is similar to Regent, Lorentz’s and Vogelkop Whistler’s but has white throat and brown head. Voice, a series of typical whistlerlike “chew!” or “whip!” notes that get louder and end with an explosive quality.
Identification
Sclater's whistler (Pachycephala soror) or the hill golden whistler, is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae found in the highlands of New Guinea. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. The name commemorates the British zoologist Philip Lutley Sclater.
Taxonomy
Genus: Pachycephala; Family: Pachycephalidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Pachycephala soror
- Authority
- Sclater, PL, 1874
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Pachycephalidae
- Genus
- Pachycephala
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Long-billed Tailorbird
Artisornis moreaui
Inconspicuous, apalis-like grayish warbler with a long tail, straight thin bill, and buff-brown forehead. Isolated population in Mozambique, sometimes considered a different species (Njesi Tailorbird), is smaller, darker, and browner on the head. Singles and pairs are very low density, shy and creep slowly through the undergrowth and canopy, especially nearby streams; sometimes joins mixed-species flocks. Song a pleasant sweet bouncing “eeh-yuh, eeh-yuh, eeh-yuh” or strident “peelik-peelik-peelik”, sometimes joined in duet with a dry buzzing “dzit”; call a high-pitched “chhet” like a squeaky dog’s toy. Similar Brown-headed Apalis is shorter-billed than Long-billed Tailorbird and has white tips to the tail.
Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe
Attagis gayi
Chunky, generally uncommon, rather grouselike bird of the high Andes. Found in pairs or small groups on bogs, stony slopes, and in bleak moorland of puna and páramo zones. Lacey “chainmail” pattern to upperparts is beautifully cryptic, and birds sometimes freeze when alarmed making them more difficult to see. No similar species in range; note the short stout bill and rusty underparts. Flight strong and fast, and flushes with loud shrieking choruses.
Western Violet-backed Sunbird
Anthreptes longuemarei
Fairly small sunbird with an unusually short, warbler-like bill. The male has an iridescent violet head and back, while the female has brownish upperparts and a pale eyebrow. Found in a variety of lush woodland habitats, including miombo and Guinea savanna. Often in pairs, and sometimes joins mixed-species flocks. Vocalizations include high-pitched calls, scolds, and a quick jumbled song. Very similar to Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird, but in the area of overlap, separated by the male’s violet rather than turquoise rump, and by the female’s yellow-tinged rather than pure-white belly.
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