Gray-throated Sunbird
Anthreptes griseigularis
A small bird of lowland wooded areas with a fairly long, slightly curved, stout bill and yellow underparts. Male has a pale gray throat, a dark reddish cheek and wing patch, a purplish-blue forehead and shoulder, and bottle green on the sides of the throat, the back of the neck, and the crown. Female is fairly drab, with a grayish-brown head and an olive-green back and rump. Male unmistakable. Female similar to several other species, but larger, with a broader bill. Voice not well known, but probably gives a loud “whip!” similar to Brown-throated Sunbird.
Identification
A small bird of lowland wooded areas with a fairly long, slightly curved, stout bill and yellow underparts. Male has a pale gray throat, a dark reddish cheek and wing patch, a purplish-blue forehead and shoulder, and bottle green on the sides of the throat, the back of the neck, and the crown. Female is fairly drab, with a grayish-brown head and an olive-green back and rump. Male unmistakable. Female similar to several other species, but larger, with a broader bill. Voice not well known, but probably gives a loud “whip!” similar to Brown-throated Sunbird.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Anthreptes griseigularis
- Authority
- Tweeddale, 1878
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Nectariniidae
- Genus
- Anthreptes
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Himalayan Buzzard
Buteo refectus
A large hawk with a confusing range and unclear identification criteria. Resident in the Himalayas and a breeder in adjacent areas of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. A large “typical” buzzard, brown overall with blotchy patterning on the breast, dark upper “trousers,” and dark “elbows” and trailing edge on the underwing. Juvenile streakier below with a more finely barred tail and paler trailing edge. Compare with extremely similar Upland and Eastern Buzzards; note less eagle-like proportions than Upland, as well as marginally darker “trousers” and more prominent trailing edge than Eastern.
Swallow-tailed Kite
Elanoides forficatus
A graceful, uniquely shaped raptor with long, narrow wings and deeply forked tail. Black-and-white with shining blue-gray upperwing. Usually seen in flight as it soars and glides while twisting its tail. Wingbeats are deep, fluid flaps. Found over a variety of wooded habitats with a preference for wetter habitats around rivers and ponds. Feeds mainly on insects captured on the wing.
Meadow Bunting
Emberiza cioides
Handsome large bunting with a distinctive face pattern consisting of a dark brown ear patch (black in Japan) and mustache combined with a light eyebrow and throat. Male also has a gray collar and rusty-tinged upperparts and sides. Female has a weaker, paler head pattern, a partial collar, and tan underparts. Common in open areas with a range of different vegetation cover, including forest edges, farmlands, and meadows. The only bunting in its range to give multiple call notes in a series instead of isolated chips.
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