Togian Boobook
Ninox burhani
A medium-sized brown owl with piercing yellow eyes, confined to the Togian Islands. Cryptically patterned, with a mottled breast, an unmarked pale lower belly, indistinct white eyebrows, and widely scattered white markings on wings. Pairs inhabit forests of lowlands and hills, also occurring in slightly modified habitats. Migrant Northern Boobook visits these islands too; Togian Boobook differs in its finer markings below, pale belly, widespread white markings on wings, and understated white eyebrows. Frog-like vocalizations are unlike those of any owl in region: a grating, but explosive “grrrrr-wow-waow.”
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Ninox burhani
- Authority
- Indrawan & Somadikarta, 2004
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Strigidae
- Genus
- Ninox
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Myiopsitta monachus
Medium-sized parakeet, bright lime green above with whitish face and chest, pinkish bill, and blue wingtips. Native to South America, where it is found in various open habitats, especially rural agricultural areas and towns. In introduced range, can be found locally in large cities. Builds enormous stick nests, often on large structures like cell phone towers and power poles; "Cliff Parakeet" of arid southcentral Bolivia manages to build, quite impressively, on sheer cliffs. Listen for its harsh, screeching voice.
Curve-billed Thrasher
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Plain grayish-brown thrasher of the southwest U.S. and Mexico. Look for decurved bill and fairly faint round spots on breast and belly. Undertail coverts are slightly warmer buffy. Eye color varies from yellow to orange. Occurs in deserts and open, shrubby areas. Can be shy and skulking, but often perches atop a bush or cactus to sing. More common in suburban areas and parks than other thrashers in range. Most similar to Bendire’s Thrasher. Note Curve-billed has a slightly longer and more curved bill, and breast spots are slightly larger and rounder.
Gray-headed Robin
Heteromyias cinereifrons
Large, plump robin of montane rainforest. Both sexes olive brown above, with gray crown and breast, stark white throat, and white wing patch, prominent in flight. Upright stance, large size, intricate plumage, and pale pink legs distinctive. Usually feeds on or near the ground in rainforest of far northern Queensland.
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