Asian Tit
Parus cinereus
Large and pugnacious, this common tit is found in a wide range of wooded habitats, from dense hill forests to manicured city parks throughout much of Asia from India to Indonesia. Adult has a flashy white cheek on a black head, a black stripe on a white belly, and gray wings; East Asian birds have a hint of green near the shoulder. Juveniles are duller, replacing the adult’s black with gray. Very vocal; song is a bright “tzi-hei tzi-hei!” or “tzee-tzee-tzee-tzee”; also gives loud chips, seeps, and harsh scolding “tzi-tzi-tzshhhhhh.” Formerly treated as two separate species, Japanese Tit and Cinereous Tit.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Parus cinereus
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Paridae
- Genus
- Parus
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Palawan Frogmouth
Batrachostomus chaseni
A medium-sized night bird of lowland forest on Palawan, where it is the only frogmouth. Male is gray-brown and lightly speckled above with barred flight feathers and tail. Female is more rufous-brown with less patterning. Both sexes have a broken white line above the shoulder and are heavily scalloped with white on the belly, more sparsely on the chest. Note the prominent whiskers around the face. More often heard than seen. Voice is a raspy, whistled “reh-weuu!” with the second note falling.
Black Rosy-Finch
Leucosticte atrata
The darkest of the three rosy-finches with a dark chocolate body. Look for pink highlights in the wings and tail; gray wraps around the back of head. Often in mixed flocks in winter with other rosy-finches. Breeds on cliffs at high elevation; difficult to find in the summer. Feeds on seeds and insects. Look for them foraging on alpine snowfields. Visits feeders, primarily in winter.
Knob-billed Fruit-Dove
Ptilinopus insolitus
A unique fruit dove with a diagnostic combination of a large red knob above the bill, a large orange belly patch, and gray shoulder spots. Restricted to lowland forest, particularly secondary and degraded forest patches, where it often perches in the open but is deceptively well camouflaged. Could potentially be mistaken for Red-knobbed Imperial-Pigeon, but is much smaller, with a bright green body. Voice is little known, but sometimes gives a drawn-out, four-noted “whooOOoo-hu-ooo-huu.”
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