Wedge-tailed Sabrewing

A fairly small to medium-sized bird of montane forest and edge on Mindanao. Bright cinnamon on the crown and back with darker wings and tail, a pale orange throat, chest, and sides, and white on the belly and under the base of the tail. Note the red eye and the silver-gray legs and bill. Often found in mixed-species flocks. No similar species in range. Voice is a mixture of high-pitched squeals, a sharp nasal “wik,” and a forceful, medium-pitched “piii! piuu-piuu!” with the final notes downslurred.

A gray-brown bushshrike with rufous wings, a bold pale eyebrow, and a diagnostic brown central crown that is bordered by black stripes. Pairs skulk close to the ground, where they hop and glean for insects in scrub, tangled thickets, and open woodland. The species is more terrestrial than other tchagras. It performs a descending spiral aerial display, making a “prrrrrp” rattle sound with its fluttering wings before singing a rapid descending series of 15–20 musical “chee-ree” notes as the bird returns to the ground. The similar Southern Tchagra differs from the smaller Brown-crowned Tchagra by having a larger, stouter bill and a plain brown central crown lacking black border stripes.

A beautiful minivet inhabiting open, dry scrub and savanna with scattered acacia (Prosopis) growth. The male has a glossy black upper body, face, and neck. The breast region has a round orange patch, with the rest of the underparts white. The tail is black, with an orange rump and white markings on the wings. The plumage of the male of this bird is reminiscent of breeding male stonechats. The female is duller in appearance, with dark gray upperparts, black wings, a black tail, and dark black lores. The wings have white markings similar to the males’, and the rump is orange. The species usually moves in small groups, feeding mainly on insects.