Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker
Prionochilus thoracicus
The bright scarlet-red chest of the otherwise bumblebee-colored male glows in the gloom of the forest like a demon’s eye. Female is much more modestly-colored, with a gray head, a yellow breast, whitish flanks, and a dull brownish-yellow back. Female Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker has more evenly yellow underparts. A generally uncommon species, found patchily in forest and forest edge in lowlands and foothills. Gives buzzy “tzeeps” as well as high-pitched trills.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Prionochilus thoracicus
- Authority
- (Temminck, 1836)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Dicaeidae
- Genus
- Prionochilus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Long-billed Bernieria
Bernieria madagascariensis
Large, long-tailed, long-billed, dull-olive tetraka. Madagascar endemic that is found in rainforest, dry deciduous forest, and locally in spiny forest. Prefers the mid-story, and often joins mixed flocks with tetrakas and other birds. Song is a fairly musical phrase of up-and-down whistles. Call is a rough “trek-trak”. Separated from tetrakas by its larger size and its longer bill and tail. Doesn’t have the pale eye-ring of Spectacled Tetraka or the gray head of Gray-crowned Tetraka. Much more olive-colored than brush-warblers.
Violet Crow
Corvus violaceus
An entirely blackish short-tailed crow. Has a subtle purplish sheen that is visible in only certain lighting conditions. Juveniles lack purple gloss. Inhabits forest, edge, and plantations in the lowlands and foothills. Singles, pairs, or small groups can be found in the canopy. Recently described from Seram, and perhaps also occurs on Ambon and Buru. Unmistakable, being the only crow on these islands. Gives an odd call for a crow: a nasal, trumpeting “errr.” Gives more crow-like sounds too, but higher-pitched than many sounds of the family, including a high-pitched, guttural “kreh-kreh…”.
Orange-browed Hemispingus
Kleinothraupis calophrys
Greenish and golden tanager of low, dense understory and midstory of humid montane forest just below treeline in the central and Northern Bolivian Andes, including adjacent extreme SE Peru. Distinguished from other hemispinguses by rich orange-gold supercilium and throat. Travels in pairs in mixed species flocks, generally within two meters of the ground. Song a very high, long, uneven twittering,
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