Black-faced Sandgrouse

Pterocles decoratus

A small and intricately marked sandgrouse. The distinctive male has a black mark across the face and onto the throat. The female is plainer. Both sexes have a dark belly and a white band on the breast. Found in dry savanna and thornscrub habitat. Female resembles some other sandgrouse, but is identified by the combination of small size and the white mark on the breast. The call is a low-pitched “chut-to-la,” which is often given in flight.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Pterocles decoratus
Authority
Cabanis, 1868
Order
Pterocliformes
Family
Pteroclidae
Genus
Pterocles

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

Dapple-throat

Dapple-throat

Arcanator orostruthus

Supreme understory skulker in montane forest, resembling a hybrid between a thrush and babbler. A dull and dowdy understory specialist with brown-olive upperparts and boldly-streaked cream-yellow underparts. Immature is more uniformly olive. Singles or pairs are highly localized residents working the leaf-litter in rich wet undergrowth of Eastern Arc montane forest, between 900–1800m, especially close to streams; shy and hops or runs quickly across forest-floor, seldom permitting absorbing looks. Vocalizations are variable, but most frequently utters a rich and fluty song “we-lu-we-lu-wel’li-lu” and sweet bulbul-like chattering calls. The Dapple-throat resembles immature robin-chats or thrushes, but lacks spotting and scaling on the upperparts.

Olive-headed Lorikeet

Olive-headed Lorikeet

Trichoglossus euteles

A long-tailed green parrot with a light olive hood, an orange bill, and a yellowish-green underside. Note the yellow bar on the underwing in flight. Juveniles have a dark brownish-black bill. Gregarious, found in pairs or groups high up within forest and savanna in the lowlands, hills, and mountains in its limited range in the eastern Lesser Sundas. Smaller than Marigold Lorikeet, with a lighter colored head, and lacks Marigold’s broad yellow collar. Gives characteristic lorikeet screeches: “eek.”

Black-whiskered Vireo

Black-whiskered Vireo

Vireo altiloquus

Large vireo, nearly identical in plumage to Red-eyed Vireo but slightly duller and browner. Drab olive-greenish above and white below with gray cap, white eyebrow, and brown eye. Telltale black whisker mark often difficult to see, but is diagnostic. Hooked bill is rather long for a vireo. Primarily a Caribbean species; exact extent of wintering range in South America is poorly known. Limited range in U.S.; breeds in scrubby mangrove forests in Florida. Can be difficult to spot in dense foliage, but listen for song: repeated two- or three-parted chirping phrases that are vaguely reminiscent of a more musical House Sparrow.

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