Flores Crow
Corvus florensis
An entirely black crow confined to the island of Flores. Found in small, vocal parties within forest in lowlands and hills. Overlaps with Large-billed Crow, and similarly large-billed, but Flores Crow is smaller-bodied with a relatively smaller bill, and lacks the pronounced steep forehead characteristic of Large-billed Crow. Flores Crow is also a forest species, avoiding open habitats, and has a distinctive voice. Vocalizations are odd for a crow, including babylike, whining, high-pitched “waa” and “we-we-we” calls, the latter sometimes followed by a deep “kyop.” Also gives high “kraaa” notes, a throaty, disyllabic “kwiyou,” and other gurgling sounds.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Corvus florensis
- Authority
- Büttikofer, 1894
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Corvidae
- Genus
- Corvus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Erect-crested Penguin
Eudyptes sclateri
Medium-sized crested penguin, endemic to New Zealand. Note the distinct broad yellow eyebrow rising over the eye to form a stiff brush-like crest. Also look for pale blue skin at the base of the bill. A subantarctic breeder, with main colonies on Bounty and Antipodes Islands. Disperses widely at the end of breeding season. A small number molt on the east coast of the North and South Islands in the fall. Forms small groups at sea. Voice a low-pitched booming bray. Distinguished from Snares and Fiordland Penguins by pale white-blue skin at bill base and less “V-shaped” crest when seen head-on.
Mongolian Short-toed Lark
Calandrella dukhunensis
A small lark with a short, conical bill. It appears long and horizontal, and has strong streaks on the upperparts. Very similar to Greater Short-toed Lark, but Mongolian Short-toed is slightly larger, is warmer brown with a rust-colored tinge on the breast and underparts, and has bolder streaking. It usually inhabits open, dry grassy habitats. Song is a prolonged melodious jumble of notes, often given in flight. Calls, often heard when individuals or flocks go overhead, are distinctly trilly, with a squeaky-wet quality to them: “tr’liu, tr’liu, liu, liu”; not as strong and insistent-sounding as the calls of Greater Short-toed Lark.
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Passer montanus
This common Eurasian species is a close relative of the House Sparrow. Slightly smaller than House Sparrow with entirely rufous cap, black and white cheek, and limited black in the throat. Males and females are similar. Typically found in noisy small flocks, often in more natural areas than concrete-loving House Sparrow; calls are often higher-pitched than those of House Sparrow, and has a slightly slower chatter. Feeds on seeds. Introduced to a small region in the central U.S. and southeast Australia.
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