Latham's Francolin
Peliperdix lathami
A beautiful but elusive rainforest francolin. The face is well marked with black and gray, the back is brown, and the underparts have bold white spots. Males are darker, chestnut on the back and black below; females are browner. Roams around on the ground of interior rainforests at low to middle elevations. Very shy and difficult to see well. Similar to Nahan’s Francolin, but separated by the dark bill, the lack of red bare facial skin, and the yellow rather than red legs. Most often detected by vocalizations, which include a bubbly descending series and a duet of nasal notes and repeated, descending phrases.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Peliperdix lathami
- Authority
- (Hartlaub, 1854)
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- Phasianidae
- Genus
- Peliperdix
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Tiny, subtly colorful flycatcher of riparian and secondary growth. Large-headed with a flat boat-shaped bill. Yellow with a gray head and fine black streaking all over. Song an even-paced series of high chip notes, usually transitioning into doubled notes, “peet, peet, peet-it, peet-it, peet-it, …”.
Spotted Crake
Porzana porzana
Medium-sized crake with dense whitish spotting and speckling on the neck and breast. Also note greenish legs and short yellow bill with a reddish base. Breeds in freshwater marshes and wet meadows with dense vegetation cover, but migrants and wintering birds may also be found in ephemeral wetlands and brackish marshes. Retiring and rarely seen, but sometimes comes out at muddy edges, mainly early and late in the day. Song is a series of repeated “huit, huit, huit” notes.
Copperback Quail-thrush
Cinclosoma clarum
Heavily patterned terrestrial bird of Western Australia and western South Australia. White eyebrow and moustache, with deep chestnut brown back and intricately patterned wing. Female has white belly and gray chest, male white belly, gray flanks, and black chest and throat. Note gray sides rather than warm brown sides of Cinnamon and Nullarbor quail-thrushes. Usually seen walking around in areas of open woodland and shrubland. Call is a long, high-pitched whistled "seeeep."
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