Black-tailed Whistler
Pachycephala melanura
Chunky, rounded songbird with heavy thick bill. Found across a wide range of habitats across its range: largely mangroves in Australia, but also inhabits freshwater swamps in New Guinea and forests and forest edge on smaller islands. Male has an olive-yellow back, black head, white chin, bright yellow underparts, and thick yellow hindcollar. Female plain gray above, paler gray below, with yellow undertail and in some subspecies a yellow belly. Overlaps very marginally with the very similar Golden Whistler in eastern Queensland, but note mangrove habitat as well as slightly longer bill and darker uppertail; also note significant yellow on underparts in female and different song. Vocalizations include variations on whistled songs, sometimes with a whip-like ending.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Pachycephala melanura
- Authority
- Gould, 1843
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Pachycephalidae
- Genus
- Pachycephala
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Great Iora
Aegithina lafresnayei
A yellowish canopy-dweller with a long, powerful-looking bill. Male is dark above and yellow below, while female is ironically distinctive in her lack of distinctive characteristics; she is plain gray-green above and yellow below. Both sexes can be separated from other ioras by the proportionally larger bill, greater size, and lack of wingbars. Inhabits primary and late secondary broadleaf forests, as well as forest edge, in lowland and foothill regions. Song is a rapid-fire series of high-pitched “chew” notes. Like other ioras, frequently joins mixed-species flocks.
Acre Antshrike
Thamnophilus divisorius
Secretive, rare medium-sized antshrike of the dense forests of the Cordillera Divisor of remote western Brazil and eastern Peru. Males are dark gray with a bluish tint to the back and upperparts, while females are bluish-gray above and brownish-orange below. Inhabits the lower levels of forests, where it is more often heard than seen; voice is a fast series of notes increasing in speed before finishing with a final higher note.
Rock Kestrel
Falco rupicolus
Typical kestrel with a rufous back and underparts, barred tail, and a dark “moustache” mark on the face. Found in a wide variety of open habitats, especially in rocky areas. Spends much of its time on the wing, often hovering. Call is a high, repeated “kreek”. Very similar to Eurasian Kestrel, but little overlap in range, and Rock Kestrel shows paler underwings. Similar to Lesser Kestrel but slightly larger. Male Rock Kestrel also separated by its lack of pale gray on the top of the wing. Female Rock Kestrel has darker rufous underparts.
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