Small Niltava
Niltava macgrigoriae
Size distinguishes this species from other niltavas; coloration is quite similar to Large Niltava, which is double the size. Male Small Niltava is bright blue with the brightest patches on the shoulder and forehead. Female is brown with a white eyering and a rufous tail and wingtips. Forages in the lower and middle levels of hilly and montane forests, usually singly. Listen for its distinctive song, a cleanly descending “wee-dee-dee.”
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Niltava macgrigoriae
- Authority
- (Burton, E, 1836)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Genus
- Niltava
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Eats small invertebrates and fruits.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds

Gough Island Finch
Rowettia goughensis
A large striking finch with a dagger-like bill and different looking sexes. Male is mostly olive with a black throat and yellow eye-ring and moustache; female is brownish and lacks the black throat. Juvenile similar to female but heavily streaked. A critically endangered species endemic to Gough Island, where it is the only songbird; pairs and family groups are widespread on the island, preferring areas above 300 meters of elevation. Male sings a high-pitched whistle, while female answers with a chatter.

Swainson's Sparrow
Passer swainsonii
A drab sparrow of northeastern Africa. The head and underparts are gray, the wing and back are brown, and the rump is rufous. Generally common within its range in all habitats except closed-canopy forest. Fond of human habitation. Very similar to Northern Gray-headed Sparrow, but there is little overlap in range, and Swainson’s has darker underparts. Also very similar to Parrot-billed Sparrow, but slightly smaller and slimmer-billed, with paler underparts. The call is a ringing “churp.”

Visayan Babbler
Sterrhoptilus nigrocapitatus
A fairly small bird of lowland and foothill forest and edge; endemic to Samar, Leyte, and Bohol, though lumped with Calabarzon Babbler under “Black-crowned Babbler” by some taxonomies. Has a gray back and cheek with fine pale streaks, dark wings and tail with white outer tail feathers, white underparts, a pale rufous throat, and a black crown. Note the slender black bill. Often joins mixed-species flocks and sometimes hangs upside down while feeding. Somewhat similar to Green-backed Whistler, especially from below, but smaller, with a pale rufous throat and a black crown. Voice includes a medium-pitched “poo piuu!” with the second note downslurred.
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