Southern Grosbeak-Canary

Crithagra buchanani

A large seedeater with a very thick pinkish bill. Brownish-olive above and yellow below with streaking along the sides. Males are slightly brighter and have thicker streaking below. Both sexes have a yellow rump that is conspicuous in flight. Found in dry thorn savanna and thorn scrub, usually in pairs or small groups. Similar to Brimstone Canary, but distinguished by the notably larger bill, streaked underparts, and yellow rump. The song is twittering, high-pitched, and variable, and can include imitations of other species. The most common call is a sliding “sreeyu.” 

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Crithagra buchanani
Authority
(Hartert, EJO, 1919)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Fringillidae
Genus
Crithagra

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

Groundscraper Thrush

Groundscraper Thrush

Turdus litsitsirupa

A tall, bold, long-legged, short-tailed thrush with gray-brown upperparts, heavily spotted white underparts, and a strongly marked face. In flight, shows distinctive large buff patches in the broad wings. Pairs and small groups occupy moorland, grassland, and open woodland, favoring heavily grazed and burned areas. Runs long distances on the ground hunting invertebrates, stopping bolt upright and flicking its wings. The song is a grating, unmelodic “lit-sit-siru-pa.” The call is a rattle of variable speed.

Moustached Flowerpiercer

Moustached Flowerpiercer

Diglossa mystacalis

Unmistakable black flowerpiercer with a bold white mustache and a reddish vent. Some subspecies have a variable red and white chest patch. Sexes similar. Resembles a tanager with a slender hooked bill, and tends to hold its body horizontal as it forages in low shrubs in humid habitats around and above the treeline. Its song is a rapid, jumbled series of high whistles.

White-bibbed Ground Dove

White-bibbed Ground Dove

Pampusana jobiensis

A little known, medium-sized ground dove of foothill and lower montane forest. Dark body with purplish sheen on the upper back and shoulders, distinctive white throat, chest, and eyebrow. Some females appear to be duller versions of the male, while others resemble the juvenile with no white. Nomadic and feeds on the ground, including on seeding bamboo. Male-type unmistakeable. Juvenile-type similar to Bronze Ground Dove, but White-bibbed is larger and longer tailed. Voice a series of deep, flat “hoop-hoop” notes, and a froglike croak.

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