Drab Whistler
Pachycephala griseonota
A thick-billed, sparrow-sized songbird. The distinctive Obi form, sometimes considered a separate species, has a cinnamon underside and a olive-brown upperside, and females have streaked throats. Elsewhere, Drab Whistlers show grayish-brown upperparts with a variable underside: in the north Moluccas and Sula, a white throat, a soft gray chest band, and a whitish belly; in Buru, Seram, and Kai, a buffier belly and no chest band. In the Kai islands, females have streaked throats. Juveniles everywhere but Obi resemble females. Found singly in canopy of forests and wooded areas, from lowlands into foothills. Differs from female Black-chinned and Yellow-throated Whistlers in grayer upperparts and lack of yellow underparts. Variable songs include piping “chew-chew-chew-chew-chew-chong,” an ascending “chew-weeee,” and a “kwik-kwik-kwik-kwik…”.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Pachycephala griseonota
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Pachycephalidae
- Genus
- Pachycephala
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Crimson-collared Grosbeak
Periporphyrus celaeno
Stocky and often rather sluggish bird of tropical forest and edge in lowlands and foothills of northeast Mexico. Usually found as singles or pairs, feeding quietly at all levels in fruiting trees or bushes. Note the thick stubby bill and rather long tail. Adult male is striking: dark overall with a black hood and broad pinkish-red collar. Female is drab greenish overall with black hood similar to male. Immature is like female but with less extensive black hood.
Blue-winged Leafbird
Chloropsis moluccensis
Medium-sized forest-dweller that is often seen in pairs or with mixed flocks. Male has a yellow tinge to the head and a triangular black patch with a deep blue center extending down from between the eye and the base of the bill. Female is green all over with a small blue throat smudge. Both sexes have vivid blue highlights on the wings, which help to distinguish it from other similar leafbirds in its range such as Greater Green and Lesser Green Leafbirds, both of which have plain green wings. Vocalizations very varied, including a rather slow, simple song consisting of whistles and warbles, a repetitive and strident “weet weet weet”, and a sweet “wi’weep.”
White-cheeked Partridge
Arborophila atrogularis
Appropriately-named; a gray-brown partridge with a bright white cheek patch. Like most other Arbrophila partridges, shy and seldom seen out in the open, usually moving about furtively under thick cover; sometimes crosses trails and openings, especially at dawn and dusk. Usually found in foothill habitats, including pristine primary forest, second growth, and even tea plantations. Song, usually heard late or early in the day, is a series of paired whistles.
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