Silver-crowned Friarbird
Philemon argenticeps
Large gray honeyeater with pale gray cap, bare black facial skin, and a small but prominent "horn" on the long, pointed, black bill. This species has gray-brown upperparts and dull white underparts; the feathers on the back of the head are paler than those on the back. Take care to distinguish from Helmeted Friarbird (which is browner overall with a rounded upper rear edge to the facial skin). Found in a variety of drier woodland habitats across the Kimberley and the Top End of the Northern Territory. Also found on Cape York in Queensland but not expected in the Cairns/Atherton area. Typically very loud, with a variety of harsh, loud squawks.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Philemon argenticeps
- Authority
- (Gould, 1840)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Meliphagidae
- Genus
- Philemon
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Satyr Tragopan
Tragopan satyra
A large pheasant-like bird. Male has a black face with dark blue cheeks and chin, and a grayish-brown back and uppertail. It has white speckling all over, but the male Satyr Tragopan is the only tragopan to have white dots on the red breast. Female is similar in shape, but all brown with thin white streaks on the back and reddish-brown wings. Found in dense forests, where it forages on the forest floor. The call is a nasal, wailing “gwaaahh.”
American White Pelican
Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
Extremely large and conspicuous. White with black wingtips. Very long, orange bill with pouch for scooping up fish. Forages in flocks, swimming together to concentrate fish. Often soars in flocks, infrequently flapping, during migration and when traveling between feeding sites.
Cory's Shearwater
Calonectris borealis
Large, lumbering shearwater. Diagnostic yellow bill is often visible from quite a long distance. Look for warm pale brown upperparts and clean white belly and underwings. Also note little contrast between the brown head and white throat (compare with distinct capped appearance of Great Shearwater). Lazier wingbeats than other large shearwaters, especially in calm conditions; wings look crooked with wrists pushed forward in flight. Forms mixed flocks with other shearwaters, especially when feeding. Fairly common in warm water in the Atlantic Ocean; increasingly frequent in cooler water, ranging further northward in recent years. Very similar to closely related and recently split Scopoli’s Shearwater. Can be identified with caution, and often by analysis of photographs, by the solidly dark outer part of the underwing.
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