New Guinea Woodcock
Scolopax rosenbergii
A large, dark shorebird with deep chestnut upperside and breast patterned with black banding and a white belly. Dumpy, with a short tail and long bill. Confined to New Guinea, where it inhabits wet montane forest, nearby thickets, and alpine grassland. Most often seen on the forest floor or in crepuscular aerial display flights. Unmistakable, as the only forest-dwelling shorebird in the mountains on the island. In display flight, gives deep “grrr-grrr-grrr” calls and a thin, high-pitched, disyllabic “chuwit” note heard regularly.
Identification
The New Guinea woodcock (Scolopax rosenbergii) is a species of bird in the family Scolopacidae formerly considered to be conspecific with the Javan woodcock and called collectively the dusky woodcock. It is native to the New Guinea Highlands.
Taxonomy
Genus: Scolopax; Family: Scolopacidae; Order: Charadriiformes.
- Scientific name
- Scolopax rosenbergii
- Authority
- Schlegel, 1871
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Scolopacidae
- Genus
- Scolopax
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Colonist Kingfisher
Todiramphus colonus
A recently recognized species with a dark greenish back, brighter bluish-green wings, a dark face-mask, a greenish cap, a white collar, and a buffy-orange spot in front of the eye. Bill relatively weak and thin. Found in most habitats, but mainly coastal, preferring mangroves. Very similar to Pacific and Sacred Kingfishers but smaller, with a straighter, less curved bill than both. Lacks buffy underparts of Sacred Kingfisher. Voice little known, but presumably similar to Pacific Kingfisher’s.
Wattled Broadbill
Sarcophanops steerii
A medium-sized bird of lowland and foothill forest on Mindanao and neighboring islands, with a pale blue bill and eye wattle, a black face, a streaked crown, a dark back with a white-and-yellow wingbar, a white collar, and a reddish rump and tail. Underparts are white in the female and pinkish in the male. Makes short sallies from a perched position to catch insects. Can be found in pairs, small groups, or sometimes mixed-species flocks. Unmistakable. Voice includes a plaintive whistle and a metallic “chink,” plus wing noise and bill clicks.
Greater Sand-Plover
Anarhynchus leschenaultii
Medium-sized plover with a long hefty bill. Breeding adults have a dark mask and orangish chest, neck, and forehead; females duller than males. Non-breeding birds and immatures are sandy brown above and white below, with a white throat and “eyebrows.” Often confused with Lesser Sand-Plover, and best distinguished when both present; look for larger size, heavier and longer bill, paler legs, and larger-headed appearance. Additionally, unlike some Lesser Sand-Plovers, Greater never has a black boundary around the throat. Breeds in high-elevation areas, where it favors arid, open habitats, sometimes near water. Winters on coastal mudflats and estuaries.
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