Ochre-breasted Catbird

Ailuroedus stonii

A large, shy, stocky bird of lowland and foothill forest interior of south eastern New Guinea. A distinct black crown contrasting with white cheek and throat, containing very fine, black dots. A messy, splotched, black collar joins the crown on the back of the neck and gets narrower to the throat. Chest and belly are buffy with small black spots becoming finer towards the belly. Could co-occur with Black-capped Catbird, but Ochre-breasted is smaller, is usually found at lower elevation and has a white cheek. One call is a ringing, high-pitch “chink!”.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Ailuroedus stonii
Authority
Sharpe, 1876
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Ptilonorhynchidae
Genus
Ailuroedus

Photos

Other Birds

Lewin's Honeyeater

Lewin's Honeyeater

Meliphaga lewinii

A medium-sized olive-gray honeyeater with a pale yellow cheek patch and a relatively stout bill. Cheek patch is often a crescent compared to the circular patch on Graceful Honeyeater and the oval path on Yellow-spotted Honeyeater. Adults have a bluish eye, while the similar Graceful Honeyeater has a blue-gray eye and Yellow-spotted Honeyeater has a brown eye. Listen for the rapid staccato machine-gun call of Lewin’s compared to the loud repeated whistles of the Yellow-spotted Honeyeater and the more simple, single note call of Graceful Honeyeater. Of the three easily confusable species, this is the only one found away from the tropics; it occurs in wetter forests and gardens all along the eastern coast of Australia.

Ash-throated Antwren

Ash-throated Antwren

Herpsilochmus parkeri

Rare antwren restricted to a small area of the eastern Andes in northern Peru. Note the black cap, striped face, white wingbars, and lack of rufous in the wing. Female has a buffy tinge on her face and throat. While several other antwrens in Peru share similar plumage features, none of them occur in the limited range of this species. Inhabits the canopy of stunted cloud forest, especially on ridgetops. Song starts with a few rising notes and ends with a descending trill.

Ochre-bellied Boobook

Ochre-bellied Boobook

Ninox ochracea

A medium-sized brown owl with a rounded head. Note the rufous underparts, clear white eyebrows, and striking yellow eyes. Upperparts chocolate-brown with bold white spots on the wings. Found in understory in lowland and foothill forest, roosting in the day in pairs or small groups within tangled thickets. Occurs at lower elevations than Cinnabar Boobook, and differs in its white eyebrows and brown upperparts. Gives a strident growling song, “woo-wooOW,” with a longer, louder second note. Also gives a single frog-like “grrrrow.”

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