Wetar Scops-Owl
Otus tempestatis
A fairly common species endemic to the island of Wetar, where the only scops-owl present. Inhabits both primary and degraded forest from lowlands to the hills. Small, inconspicuous ear tufts, prominent white eyebrows, black facial border, yellow eyes, prominent dark streaking on crown, neck and chest, and intricately patterned upperparts with conspicuous white wing markings. Occurs in gray and rufous forms. Rufous morph has reduced streaking and strong rufous barring on the underparts. Vocalization, a short series of rhythmic, rasping coughs.
Identification
A fairly common species endemic to the island of Wetar, where the only scops-owl present. Inhabits both primary and degraded forest from lowlands to the hills. Small, inconspicuous ear tufts, prominent white eyebrows, black facial border, yellow eyes, prominent dark streaking on crown, neck and chest, and intricately patterned upperparts with conspicuous white wing markings. Occurs in gray and rufous forms. Rufous morph has reduced streaking and strong rufous barring on the underparts. Vocalization, a short series of rhythmic, rasping coughs.
Taxonomy
Genus: Otus; Family: Strigidae; Order: Strigiformes.
- Scientific name
- Otus tempestatis
- Authority
- (Hartert, EJO, 1904)
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Strigidae
- Genus
- Otus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Large chickenlike bird found in brushy woodland. Olive-brown overall with warmer buffy belly and long tail and neck. Bare red moustache is usually hidden. Tail feathers have white tips. Extremely noisy and full of character. Small groups crash through the brush from tree to tree with the grace of a large bulldozer. Often heard "singing" a cacophony of grating shouts and squawks. Feeds mainly on fruit.
Large-billed Seed-Finch
Sporophila crassirostris
As the name suggests, this seed-finch has a truly massive bill – much larger than any seedeater. Male is all black with a small white wing patch. Bill is pale whitish or silvery. Female is brown with a dark bill. Very similar to Great-billed Seed-Finch, which is slightly larger; thankfully there is limited range overlap. Occurs in lowlands, primarily in scrubby or grassy fields and marshes. Uncommon.
Junin Tapaculo
Scytalopus gettyae
Poorly known Peruvian endemic found only in high Andean cloud forest northeast of the city of Huancayo. It was described to science in 2013. Adult male is plain gray, lacking the rufous barring on the lower underparts shown by Rufous-vented Tapaculo and Trilling Tapaculo. Female plumage not yet known with certainty. Younger birds are heavily marked with bars or scales. Best identified by range and voice. Typical song is a lengthy series that starts out with simple notes and gradually transitions into sputtering bursts.
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