Buff-throated Warbling Finch

Microspingus lateralis

Medium-sized gray and orange finch from montane forests, including Araucaria forests. Note the black and pale eyebrow. Gray above with a buff throat and breast turning cinnamon on the sides with a white patch on the center of the belly. The call is a fast monotonous repetition of “tseep” notes.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Microspingus lateralis
Authority
(Nordmann, 1835)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Thraupidae
Genus
Microspingus

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
declining

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

Blakiston's Fish-Owl

Blakiston's Fish-Owl

Ketupa blakistoni

Massive pale brown owl with plump, rounded ear tufts. An endangered species, found in mature boreal forests near streams where there are tree cavities suitable for nesting. Preys mostly on fish. Distinguished from Eurasian Eagle-Owl by absence of broad black streaks on breast and rounder, thicker ear tufts that are not held erect. Deep, resonant song, given in duet by pair. Duet consists of three notes, with the first two notes from a male and a third from a female. The lower-pitched female note partially overlaps with the second male note.

Northern Red-billed Hornbill

Northern Red-billed Hornbill

Tockus erythrorhynchus

A fairly small, slim, long-tailed hornbill. Note the red bill, the pink or red bare facial skin, and the heavily spotted back. The eye is dark in most of the range, but birds in some parts of East Africa show a pale eye. White patches on the wing and outer tail are conspicuous in flight. Found in savanna and thornscrub. Similar to Western and Tanzanian Red-billed Hornbills, but separated from both by the pale rather than black bare skin around the eye. Call is a series of clucks that starts with single notes, then becomes louder and more emphatic, with doubled notes. 

Qilian Bluetail

Qilian Bluetail

Tarsiger albocoeruleus

A newly described species endemic (at least as a breeder) to a few pockets of northern China. Essentially visually identical to Red-flanked Bluetail: adult male is sky-blue above and pale below, with orange sides and a small white eyebrow. Female and juvenile are more subdued, but still have the rufous flanks and blue tail. Breeds in humid montane forest, often favoring mossy, damp areas. Wintering range and habits essentially unknown, but probably overlap those of Red-flanked Bluetail. Can be hyperactive, moving quickly across the forest floor, stopping to flick the tail downwards. Best identified by range and distinctive song: a short, descending sweet yet burry phrase repeated regularly, very different from the song of Red-flanked Bluetail. Also has a variety of calls that are less distinctive, including a rising “sweet”, a descending “seet”, and a series of low, dry notes.

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