Negros Jungle Flycatcher
Vauriella albigularis
A rare, medium-sized drab bird of lowland and foothill forest understory on Negros and Panay. Fairly large for a flycatcher. Dark brown above and on the chest, with a white throat and belly. Very similar to White-vented Whistler, but Negros Jungle-Flycatcher has a thinner bill and duller brown upperparts. Song is a descending sequence of high-pitched metallic notes, sometimes rising again at the end.
Identification
EBird describes the bird as "A fairly small bird. Rufous-brown on the wings, back, and tail, with a gray head, heavily-streaked pale underparts, and a black face and moustache stripe. Often found in mixed-species flocks. Somewhat similar to Stripe-headed rhabdornis and Grand rhabdornis, but smaller, with a white eye-ring rather than a black band through the eye. Voice includes a loud rattling trill and various quiet chips and squeals."
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Vauriella albigularis
- Authority
- (Bourns & Worcester, 1894)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Genus
- Vauriella
Range and habitat
It is found in tropical moist lowland forests and the lower reaches of tropical moist montane forests typically below 1,000 meters above sea level, but has been recorded at up to 1,350 meters. It prefers primary forest but it has also been recorded in secondary forest and forest edge. It forages in the understorey and lower canopy usually below 10 meters above the ground.<p>The IUCN Red List assessed this bird as endangered with population estimated as 2,500 to 10,000 mature individuals. It is mainly threatened by habitat loss. Negros is one of the most deforested islands in the country, owing to illegal logging and conversion of forests into sugarcane plantations. An estimated 4% of Negros and 8% of Panay remained forested in 1988, most of it above 1,000 m.<p>Conservation actions proposed include
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Rainbow Pitta
Pitta iris
Small black and green pitta with red undertail coverts and gleaming blue shoulder. Primarily green upperparts, with underparts mostly black head and underparts. Usually found feeding on the ground in rainforest patches with lots of leaf litter but has also been found in a wide variety of other habitats. During breeding season it can be quite vocal, particularly males. This is the only pitta resident in the Top End of the Northern Territory and in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
Gray Tit
Melaniparus afer
A large gray-brown tit with a black-and-white head pattern and a black bib. Pairs and small groups favor dry coastal scrub and Karoo, particularly near rocky outcrops where nest holes are available. It forages for insects in small groups or mixed-species flocks. The song is typically a whistled “piet-tjou-tjou, tudi-tudi-tudi,” with scolding, buzzing, and chattering interspersed. The Ashy Tit is similar to the Gray Tit, but it is colder gray rather than buffy, with whitish wing edgings and a longer tail, and prefers Acacia thornveld habitat.
Taiga Flycatcher
Ficedula albicilla
Small brown flycatcher with a sharply contrasting black-and-white tail. Breeding male has an orange throat patch surrounded by a faint gray wash. Non-breeding male has darker flanks and far less orange on the throat. Female is cold brown above and dirty-white below. Red-breasted Flycatcher can be very similar; in Taiga, note restricted orange patch and gray throat wash in breeding male and overall colder coloration and darker bill. Voice also differs: Taiga has a more complex song comprised of whistles and trills, and a dry trill, faster than that of Red-breasted. Breeds in forested areas, favoring coniferous and mixed deciduous tracts with clearings and waterways. Winters in various wooded or shrubby habitats.
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