Golden Whistler
Pachycephala pectoralis
Compact songbird with short bill. Males in much of range are olive above, yellow below, with white throat set in black head; males and females on Norfolk Island are olive-brown with yellowish underparts (brightest on undertail). Females vary across range, with eastern birds having some amount of yellow on the underparts and western birds (formerly treated as full species, “Western Whistler”) being gray-brown above and pale below, lacking yellow. Olive Whistler much browner below, with well-defined whitish bib. Inhabits a great variety of habitats. Bright, whistled song varies, but often has a whip-like ending.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Pachycephala pectoralis
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Pachycephalidae
- Genus
- Pachycephala
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Gray-headed Lapwing
Vanellus cinereus
Brown lapwing with a gray head and neck, bright yellow bill, and a white belly and gray breast separated by a dark breast band. When in flight, note striking black primary feathers and white secondaries, as well as a white rump and dark tail. Gregarious, usually seen in loose small flocks, sometimes with other lapwings. Inhabits cultivated wetlands and marshy areas, feeding mainly on insects, worms, and crustaceans. Gives grating, piping screams.
Sangihe Cicadabird
Edolisoma salvadorii
A thrush-sized gray songbird. Male is dark slaty-gray on the back and blackish below. Gray-backed female shows extensively barred pale underparts. Singles and pairs inhabit the canopy of forest and wooded patches in the lowlands and foothills. Confined to Sangihe and Talaud Islands. The voice is poorly known.
Donaldson Smith's Nightjar
Caprimulgus donaldsoni
A small, pretty nightjar with rufous tones in the plumage. Both sexes have small pale marks in the outer wings and at the corners of the tail. These are larger and whiter on males, and smaller and more buffy in females. Locally common in dry savanna and thornscrub. Smaller, more heavily patterned, and more rufous than other nightjars in its range, but most easily identified by voice. Distinctive call is a plaintive “chuu-we-cheo” that is quickly repeated, sometimes for a long time.
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