Grand Munia

Lonchura grandis

A fairly small bird of grasslands and swamps from the lowlands to mid-mountains. Large for a munia. Black head and underparts, rufous back and sides blending to yellow tail. Note the large silver-blue bill. Juvenile all brown but still with a large bill. Distinguished from other co-occuring munia species by its larger size and much thicker bill. Call, sharp, metallic “tink” notes.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Lonchura grandis
Authority
(Sharpe, 1882)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Estrildidae
Genus
Lonchura

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Other Birds

Cape Wagtail

Cape Wagtail

Motacilla capensis

Elegant, long-tailed bird with a brownish back, pale underparts, and a black chest band. White outer tail is conspicuous in flight. Found in most open habitats, especially those near water. Feeds by walking along the ground, bobbing its tail constantly. Call is a buzzy “tseeei” that is often doubled. Song is a complex jumble of different repeated notes. Similar to Mountain Wagtail but has brown rather than gray upperparts, and Cape has less white in the wings and tail. Also similar to juvenile African Pied Wagtail but lacks a white panel in the wing.

Mountain Barbet

Mountain Barbet

Psilopogon monticola

Faded-looking barbet of Borneo’s north-central mountain ranges. Grass-green above and pale green below, with a pale blue head, an off-white throat, and a bright red streak on the back of the head. Relatively common in montane and submontane forest and edge (most common 600–1200) but can be difficult to see. Listen for its song, a series of hollow, echoing notes comparable to a water bottle being emptied. Can be found in and around fruiting trees, sometimes in mixed flocks.

Nashville Warbler

Nashville Warbler

Leiothlypis ruficapilla

Small warbler with sharply pointed bill. Look for gray head, white eyering, yellow underparts (including throat), and olive upperparts. Sometimes pumps tail. Two disjunct breeding populations are very similar in appearance. Breeds in coniferous or mixed forests, often near clearings, second-growth, or bogs. In migration and winter, tends to be found in patchy woodland or brushy areas, including field edges and thickets. Winters primarily in Mexico. Listen for its loud chipping song, broken into two parts. Compare dull immature Nashville with Virginia’s Warbler; Nashvilles always have greenish wings. Also sometimes mistaken for larger gray-headed warblers like Mourning or Connecticut, but Nashville is much smaller, shorter-tailed, and sharper-billed.

Start Your Bird Watching Journey

Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.