Brown-tailed Chat
Oenanthe scotocerca
A remarkably drab brown bird with slightly paler underparts. Key features include the dark brown tail and the pale, unmarked undertail coverts. Found very locally in rocky areas with bushes and trees. Perches up in trees, but feeds on the ground. Very similar to Sombre Rock Chat, and best distinguished by the pale and unmarked undertail. Also very similar to Blackstart, but has a dark brown rather than black tail. The calls are sparrow-like chirps, and the song is a high-pitched warbling reminiscent of Yellow-bellied Eremomela’s song.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Oenanthe scotocerca
- Authority
- (Heuglin, 1869)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Genus
- Oenanthe
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Yellow-bibbed Fruit-Dove
Ptilinopus solomonensis
A spectacular fruit-dove with a large, bright banana yellow patch on its chest and a hot pink patch on its chest and forehead. Otherwise mostly green, aside from yellow undertail. Appears to be more common on smaller atolls. Juvenile resembles the juvenile of Claret-breasted Fruit-Dove, but has yellow barring on the chest instead of a dull claret breast patch. Call is typically a long series of “woot” notes accelerating over time.
Karamoja Apalis
Apalis karamojae
A slender ash-gray apalis with a diagnostic striking white panel on the folded wing and two pairs of white outer tail feathers which are usually obvious on the dark tail. Upperparts are darker than underparts. Presumably resident in areas of semi-arid shrubland, particularly those with scattered thorn trees along dry watercourses. Pairs sing a long duet of chipped and warbled notes. The white wing panel easily separates this species from other long-tailed warbler-like birds in its range.
Common Grackle
Quiscalus quiscula
Lanky, fierce-looking, glossy blackbird. A bit larger than a jay; smaller, proportionally longer-tailed and shorter-winged than a crow. Staring yellow eye and long heavy bill (compared to Red-winged Blackbird). Often in flocks with other blackbirds in winter. Forages in fields, scrubby areas, and open woods. Visits feeders.
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