Bornean Crested Fireback
Lophura ignita
A spectacular dark pheasant of tropical lowland and lower montane rainforests. Male is glossy blue-black with a tufted crest and female is warm chocolate brown. Note the electric blue facial skin and whitish legs. Similar to Bulwer’s Pheasant but male Bornean Crested has bright orange belly and yellowish tail; female has pale-edged feathers on the underparts. Forages singly or in small groups on the forest floor. Shy but has become habituated in some places. Gives guttural “chuckit!” or soft ”weep” calls. Males also give a wing-whirring display.
Identification
The Bornean crested fireback, Lophura ignita, is a large, sexually dimorphic, and distinctly-coloured pheasant of the family Galliformes endemic to the rainforests of Borneo and the surrounding islands. It is a non-migrating omnivorous species, often seen in groups of 5–6 in the rainforest lowlands. As of 2020 they were classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN due to population decline from habitat loss and deforestation, hunting, and trapping for the cage bird trade.
Taxonomy
Genus: Lophura; Family: Phasianidae; Order: Galliformes.
- Scientific name
- Lophura ignita
- Authority
- (Shaw, 1798)
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- Phasianidae
- Genus
- Lophura
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Roberts's Warbler
Oreophilais robertsi
A dull gray-brown prinia-like warbler with a long and graduated tail, pale gray throat, ochre eyes, and pinkish legs. Pairs and family groups may join mixed-species flocks, foraging studiously through the lower branches of forest, undergrowth and bracken, forest edge, and occasionally pausing to chatter in unison. Often groups call a repeated high-pitched nagging “nyerk-nyerk-nyerk…” and other buzzing notes, always less guttural than babblers. Within its range the similar-looking Chirinda Apalis is grayer than Robert’s Warbler, with a white-tipped tail, different call, and a tendency to remain in the canopy.
Slaty-backed Hemispingus
Poospiza goeringi
A beautiful small tanager with attractive contrasting colors: slate gray upperparts, orange underparts, black mask, and a bright white eyebrow. Sexes similar, but male is richer orange. Often found in pairs, small groups and mixed species flocks. Uncommon in upper cloud forest, elfin forest, and bamboo edges, most often foraging at lower levels. Voice is an energetic and rapid series of disordered notes. No similar species with its color pattern and prominent eyebrow. Endemic to the Andes of Venezuela.
Slaty Cuckoo-Dove
Turacoena modesta
A long-tailed, uniformly slate-gray dove with bare yellow facial skin. Juvenile browner, with white feather edging. Found singly or pairs in forests, forest edges, and nearby wooded areas within the lowlands and foothills. Song starts with several slow, well spaced “wooyup” notes before quickly moving into a rapidly accelerating series of “woop-woop-woop” notes, trailing off at the end.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.