Speckled Boobook
Ninox punctulata
A distinctive medium-sized owl with a rounded head, prominent white eyebrows, dark eyes, a white belly, and a widely spotted gray upperside and crown. Found in forest and edge in the lowlands and foothills, often in pairs. Confined to Sulawesi and satellite islands. Voice atypical of boobooks: gives a high-pitched, incessant series of single notes, “ru-ru-ru,” like the sound of a small dog barking. Frequently builds in volume and pace, ending in a short explosive sequence of agitated shrill squeals.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Ninox punctulata
- Authority
- (Quoy & Gaimard, 1832)
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Strigidae
- Genus
- Ninox
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds

Lazuli Kingfisher
Todiramphus lazuli
A stunning blue-and-white kingfisher with entirely blue upperparts in both sexes. Female has white throat and pale blue breast and belly, but male shows more white, with pale blue confined to belly. Juvenile resembles dull male, with buff throat, spot near bill, and speckled breast and collar. Found singly and in pairs in lowland wooded areas, including cultivated areas and mangroves. Pale blue underside is unique among kingfishers in its limited south Moluccan range. Rowdy vocalizations include repetitive “ker-chick” series and “ki-ki-ki-ki…” calls.

West Indian Woodpecker
Melanerpes superciliaris
A medium-sized woodpecker of drier forests including palm groves. Its strongly barred back eliminates all other species in it range except for Northern and Fernandina’s Flickers, but both flickers lack the West Indian Woodpecker’s extensively red nape and hind-crown. The barring on the back of the Northern Flicker is also far less pronounced than it is on West Indian Woodpecker. Common vocalizations include a staccato “pee-uh-uh-uh-uh…” with accent on first note, and emphatic bursts of “bluhhh, bluhhh, bluhhh,” with notes that are both harsh and slightly trilled.

Elegant Tern
Thalasseus elegans
Long-billed tern of the Pacific coast, from the U.S. to Chile. Pale gray above with shaggy black cap in breeding plumage; nonbreeding birds develop white forehead. Best field mark is the slender orange bill with a slight droop. Strictly coastal; commonly found on beaches and estuaries. Similar to Royal Tern but smaller and slimmer with a thinner bill. Harsh grating calls similar to other terns.
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