Tufted Flycatcher
Mitrephanes phaeocercus
Conspicuous, small crested flycatcher of highlands and foothills. Attractive cinnamon underparts, obvious tufted crest, and behavior are distinctive. Occurs in woodlands, forests, and plantations; also ranges into semiopen areas with trees and bushes, mainly in winter. Typically perches conspicuously at middle to upper levels and makes fluttering sallies for insects, often returns to the same perch again and again. Listen for a cheery, doubled “chewee-chewee.”
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Mitrephanes phaeocercus
- Authority
- (Sclater, PL, 1859)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Genus
- Mitrephanes
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds

Northern Tropical Pewee
Contopus bogotensis
Small, gray flycatcher with a yellow-tinged belly and a short crest. Very similar to both Eastern Wood-Pewee and Western Wood-Pewee, but has shorter wings, a longer tail, and sometimes shows a pale spot between bill and eye. Note that wood-pewees are migratory birds, so are not present year-round in the areas where they overlap with Northern Tropical Pewee. Voice is the most reliable ID feature; Northern Tropical Pewee’s typical song is a very short, sputtering burst. Inhabits light woodland, forest edge, and overgrown fields. Usually seen on an exposed perch, from which it regularly sallies out to chase insect prey, often returning to the same spot over and over again.

Blue-naped Parrot
Tanygnathus lucionensis
Medium-sized parrot with a huge candy-red bill. Bright green overall, with eye-catching blue-and-yellow edgings on the wing feathers. Namesake sky-blue patch, which extends from the upper nape to the back of the crown, can be difficult to see. Inhabits lowland and foothill forests and other wooded areas, often on small offshore islands. Forages in flocks, screeching loudly to one another to stay in contact. Native to the Philippines and small offshore islands in Malaysia; feral population established in Kota Kinabalu. Declining across much of its range, and extirpated in some areas.

Sandhill Grasswren
Amytornis oweni
Small, long-tailed bird with black mustache and rufous-brown upperparts, found in the deserts of eastern Western Australia and central Australia, where it scampers between large spinifex clumps in sand dune habitat. Usually seen only with a dedicated search. Upperparts rufous-brown, with white throat and pale underparts. Formerly considered conspecific with Pilbara Grasswren, and together treated as “Rufous Grasswren”; also formerly lumped with Striated Grasswren.
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