Spotted Berrypecker

Melanocharis piperata

A small, rare bird of mid-montane forest. Male is dark gray above and pale gray below with a slight, pale tuft on the side. Females are dark overall and heavily spotted, with a dark belly and an olive panel on the wing. Male is similar to female Mid-mountain and Fan-tailed Berrypeckers but is longer-billed and shorter-tailed. Female is similar to Mottled Berryhunter but is much smaller. Call is a thin, high-pitch “tsiip.”

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Melanocharis piperata
Authority
(De Vis, 1898)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Paramythiidae
Genus
Melanocharis

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
unknown

Photos

Distribution

Other Birds

Tawny Fish-Owl

Tawny Fish-Owl

Ketupa flavipes

A large brown owl with wide yellow eyes and sideways-drooping ear tufts; rich tawny brown plumage with black mottling unique in its range. Always found in close proximity to rivers or lakes, usually roosting in dense waterside groves by day. Hunts fish from a low perch at dusk and at night. Hunting birds are seldom observed, as they hunt from tangles and other dense vegetation. Other horned owls in range are either much smaller (Long-eared Owl, scops-owls) or much larger (Eurasian Eagle-Owl). Pairs duet, giving 2-3 deep hoots; younger birds beg with higher-pitched screeching calls.

Fuscous Flycatcher

Fuscous Flycatcher

Cnemotriccus fuscatus

Medium-sized flycatcher found in a variety of dense scrubby habitats often close to water. Note the pale wingbars and eyebrows that contrast with the gray-brown back and yellowish belly. Several distinctive subspecies differ in plumage tones, extent of the eyebrow, bill color, and call. Similar to Euler's Flycatcher, but with a strong eyebrow. The song is a sharp “jet-jet-pew-pew,” with more emphasis on the last note.

Red-faced Malkoha

Red-faced Malkoha

Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus

Large, spectacular malkoha of moist lowland and mid-hill forest. Unmistakable with bright red face, yellowish bill, white belly and long, white-tipped tail. Found in the dense canopy of tall trees where it feeds on insects and small vertebrates. Normally found in pairs and often associates with mixed flocks usually led by Orange-billed Babblers. It can be hard to see despite its flashy appearance. Usually silent but does soft clucking and a call like static noise.

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