Green-winged Pytilia
Pytilia melba
A vividly colored waxbill with a red bill, rump, and tail and an olive-green back and wings. The male’s forehead and throat are orange-red, and it sports a bright breast band which varies in color geographically. The female lacks the breast band and has a gray head. Pairs and small flocks are resident in arid thorn savanna, dry woodland, and cultivation, where they feed on the ground for seeds and insects and fly into trees when disturbed. The species may join mixed-species flocks. The similar Orange-winged Pytilia differs from the larger Green-winged Pytilia by having diagnostic golden-yellow edges to the wing feathers.
Taxonomy
The green-winged pytilia was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Fringilla melba. No explanation was provided for the specific epithet melba but it could possibly be from a supposed Chinese word or place. Linnaeus based his description on "The Green Gold-Finch" that had been described and illustrated in 1750 by the English naturalist George Edwards in his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. Edwards was uncertain of the origin of his specimen and Linnaeus mistakenly specified the locality as China. The specimen was subsequently assumed to be from Angola, but this was restricted to Luanda in Angola by Phillip Clancey in 1962. The green-winged pytilia is now placed in the genus Pytilia that was introduced in 1837 by the English naturalist William John Swainson for the red-winged pytilia.<p>Eight subspecies are recognised:
- Scientific name
- Pytilia melba
- Authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Estrildidae
- Genus
- Pytilia
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Collared Scops-Owl
Otus lettia
Medium-sized owl with significant variation in plumage and vocalizations across its large range. Either gray or brown in coloration, with prominent pale ear tufts and pale face outlined in black. Fond of open wooded habitats from lowlands to foothills, often found roosting in temples, houses, and gardens, particularly in rural areas. Larger and more strongly tufted than both Oriental and Mountain Scops-Owls; both also lack the black facial border. Listen for this species’ incisive, short hoots, given at well-spaced intervals (often around 10 seconds).
Tawny Fish-Owl
Ketupa flavipes
A large brown owl with wide yellow eyes and sideways-drooping ear tufts; rich tawny brown plumage with black mottling unique in its range. Always found in close proximity to rivers or lakes, usually roosting in dense waterside groves by day. Hunts fish from a low perch at dusk and at night. Hunting birds are seldom observed, as they hunt from tangles and other dense vegetation. Other horned owls in range are either much smaller (Long-eared Owl, scops-owls) or much larger (Eurasian Eagle-Owl). Pairs duet, giving 2-3 deep hoots; younger birds beg with higher-pitched screeching calls.
Tawny-collared Nightjar
Antrostomus salvini
Fairly large dark nightjar of woodland, edge, and adjacent clearings in northeast Mexico. Hunts mainly from perches at forest edge, sometimes even on fence posts in rather open areas. Cryptic plumage similar to other nightjars; both sexes have rusty collar on hindneck. Male has white tail corners. Female has narrower, pale buffy tail corners. Best detected and identified by voice: a slightly burry, 2-syllable "chi-wihw," repeated. Note similar Eastern Whip-poor-will, a winter migrant, in same areas.
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