Black-faced Sheathbill
Chionis minor
A bizarre pure white bird with pinkish legs and eye-ring and bare black skin in front of the eye. Bill is large and black with tubelike nostrils. A ground-dwelling scavenger. No similar birds occur within its range. Mostly silent, but occasionally gives short rattling, croaking notes.
Identification
They are dumpy, short-necked, pigeon-like birds with white plumage, black bills, caruncles and facial skin. This species measures 38–41 cm (15–16 in) in length, 74–79 cm (29–31 in) in wingspan and weighs 460–730 g (1.01–1.61 lb), with males being slightly larger than females.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Chionis minor
- Authority
- Hartlaub, 1841
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Chionidae
- Genus
- Chionis
Range and habitat
Restricted to subantarctic islands in the southern Indian Ocean: the South African territory of the Prince Edward Islands, the French territories of the Crozet Islands and Kerguelen Islands, and the Australian territory of Heard Island. The race C. m. nasicornis is endemic to Heard Island, while the race C. m. marionesis is endemic to the Prince Edward Islands. Coastlines and intertidal zones of subantarctic islands, especially around seabird and seal colonies, as well as the vicinity of human habitation.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
At risk from scavenging toxic wastes and from introduced predators such as feral cats, but large, scattered range with no evidence of significant overall population decline leads to conservation status assessment of Least Concern.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Hispaniolan Woodpecker
Melanerpes striatus
A noisy and gregarious woodpecker that inhabits most wooded habitats. It is a striking species with a bold yellow-and-black barred back, a red crown, and a gray face with staring yellow eye. In flight, note the bright red rump. No similar species occur in its range. Vocalizations include a squeaky "wick, wick, wick, wick…", a sputtering "du-du-du-du-du...", and a squeaky, sometimes drawn out, whinny.
Rufous-chested Tanager
Thlypopsis ornata
Small warblerlike tanager. Note orange head, breast, and flanks, gray-brown back, and white belly. Sexes similar. Found in montane woodland, edges, and shrubby areas in the Andes from Colombia to Peru from around 1,800–3,200 m. Usually seen in pairs, which forage in the middle levels, often with mixed-species flocks. Compare with Brown-flanked Tanager in Peru, which has duller brown flanks that contrast with orange head and breast.
Malawi Batis
Batis dimorpha
A cute, dumpy, colorful flycatcher-like bird that flits around in the mid-canopy and understory of forest, forest edge, plantations, and gardens. Males have a broad black chest band, yellow-orange eye, white stripe through the top of the wing, and white throat. Females have an orange eye, buff-and-white stripe through the top of the wing, and rufous chin patch. The song is a series of 8-9 plaintive steady piping “peooop” notes, and calls include buzzing grating “ddrz-drrzt-drrr, ddt-ddzt-drzt-drr”. Female Dark Batis is distinguished by its darker (rich rufous rather than white and buff) wing stripe. Male Dark Batis is very similar, but has a slightly longer tail and broader black breast stripe. Also similar to Chinspot Batis, but has darker orange color to the eyes, and female Malawi Batis shows paler rufous on the throat and buff tinges to the wing stripe.
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