Himalayan Thrush

A gorgeous small finch with a bright crimson face, rump, and tail. Body is green with a blue chest and a black throat. Common in forest edge, gardens, and scrubby park habitats. Uncommon in forest. Pink-billed Parrotfinch is similar, but pale pink bill and black face are diagnostic. Fiji’s voice is a thin high-pitched “cheee cheee cheee.”

Tiny, with long wings and a short greenish bill with a small red base. Face and underparts are plain slaty gray on male, and buffy to whitish on female and juvenile. Adults have plain flanks and boldly barred undertail coverts. Juvenile has barred flanks; compare to similar Baillon’s Crake. Breeds in freshwater wetlands with extensive emergent vegetation, and spends the non-breeding season in a wide range of marshy habitats. Often favors deeper-water aquatic plant stands than other rails and crakes, clambering about nimbly amongst the vegetation. Usually retiring and rarely seen, but can be confiding. Males give a long song that starts with a series of “qwek” notes that eventually accelerates and tapers off; females respond with a descending trill with a similar quality.

Attractive and often confiding laughingthrush, often found around lodges and trails. Endemic to Borneo’s highlands, where it can be one of the most frequently-encountered birds in montane forest and forest edge. Note dark chestnut head, gray body, bright orange bill, and bright silvery wing stripe. Pale crescent behind eye gives it a cartoonishly large-eyed appearance. Hops on the ground and along branches, often with small mammals and other birds, particularly Sunda Laughingthrush. Song, often heard at dawn, is a series of repetitive, rising, mellow warbles. Calls include a harsh buzzing “churrrrr” and rattling notes.