Yellow-breasted Bowerbird
Chlamydera lauterbachi
A rather drab bowerbird of forest edge and cultivation from the lowlands to the mid-mountains. Olive-brown back and wings with pale-edged feathers giving a scaled effect. Yellow belly, streaky throat and face. Makes a unique 4-walled bower. Similar to Fawn-breasted Bowbird, but Yellow-breasted Bowerbird has a yellow rather than buffy belly and an unstreaked crown. Call, a loud, downward “kyew!”.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Chlamydera lauterbachi
- Authority
- Reichenow, 1897
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Ptilonorhynchidae
- Genus
- Chlamydera
Range and habitat
The yellow-breasted bowerbird is distributed on mainland New Guinea, where it inhabits grasslands, lowlands, and subtropical mountain forests. Its diet mainly consists of fruits, caterpillars, beetles, and other insects. The nest is a shallow cup made of small sticks located in a tree. The bower itself is of the "avenue" type, with four walls made of sticks and an outward-angled main avenue wall.<p>The scientific name commemorates its discoverer, the German botanist Carl Lauterbach. He discovered this bowerbird in 1896.<p>Widespread and a common species throughout its habitat range, the yellow-breasted bowerbird is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
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Acrocephalus hiwae
A relatively large plain brown reed warbler with a pale throat, a yellowish face, a darker cap and tail, and an absurdly long decurved bill. Found in areas of tall dense grasses, reed marshes, and scrubby thickets up to 400 meters of elevation. Song is a slow, loud reel of whistles, warbles, harsh “chak” notes, and trills. Call is a loud, offensive “tchak.” Often sings at night.
Pallid Harrier
Circus macrourus
Males are ghostly gray above with black wingtip wedges. Females are more difficult to separate from other harriers; pay attention to the underwings with their barred primaries and dark secondaries. Juveniles are rufous and similar to Montagu’s, but appear dark rather than pale faced. In flight, a bit bulkier than Montagu’s but much more buoyant than Hen Harrier. Found in steppes, wet grassland, agricultural areas and other open spaces. Sometimes forms flocks outside of the breeding season, occasionally mixing with other harrier species.
Oriental Skylark
Alauda gulgula
Chunky brown songbird with a weak crest, typically found on the ground in open fields and meadows. Darker above than below, with fine black streaking on the chest and light chestnut ear coverts with dark border. Very similar to Eurasian Skylark, with which it shares much of its range, but Oriental has buffy, not white, outer tail edges and trailing edge of wing. Breeding males “skylark,” singing a series of variable notes while hovering high above the territory.
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