Sumatran Drongo
Dicrurus sumatranus
Glossy large-billed drongo with glossy blue-sheened wings and tail. Also note bright red eyes, iridescent speckling around the throat and neck, and flared broad-tipped tail. Endemic to Sumatra, where it is the only regularly-occurring “Hair-crested type” drongo, a group which has undergone extensive taxonomic changes recently; some older field guides may refer to this taxa as either Hair-crested or Spangled Drongo. Inhabits foothill forests, where it often associates with mixed flocks in the upper and middle levels of forest. Can be a source of confusion with other drongos, such as Black, Lesser Racket-tailed, Bronzed, and Crow-billed, but note habitat, distinctive tail shape, and flat-headed profile. Gives a variety of vocalizations, including bright fluty whistles and harsh chattering.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Dicrurus sumatranus
- Authority
- Wardlaw-Ramsay, RG, 1880
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Dicruridae
- Genus
- Dicrurus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
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Selasphorus platycercus
Common hummingbird of high elevations. Breeds in open woodland with meadows and scrub. In winter, found at lower elevations. Male is distinctive in range with beautiful rosy-red throat and glistening green upperparts. Female is duller with buffy sides and speckled throat. Note broadly rounded tail feathers with restricted rufous. Feeds on nectar and small insects. Visits feeders.
Rufous Treepie
Dendrocitta vagabunda
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Moluccan King-Parrot
Alisterus amboinensis
A brightly colored, slender, long-tailed parrot of forest and clearings from the lowlands to mid-mountains in the northwest. Red head and underparts, long bluish tail, blue back, and green or bluish wings depending on the race. Similar to Papuan King-Parrot with little overlap, but Moluccan lacks the pale green shoulder bar of the male and green head of the female. Somewhat similar to Chattering Lory but Moluccan King-Parrot has a blue rather than red back and a longer tail. Gives clear, high-pitched, upslurred piping and harsh scolding calls.
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