Blue Eared-Pheasant

An unmistakable plump, short-tailed, long-legged forest bird with a red belly. A spectacular species displaying a broad iridescent blue chest band, a dark purplish-glossed head with blue cheek markings, a reddish nape, and moss-green upperparts. Found in forested lowlands and foothills and within bamboo thickets. Usually seen singly, most often either foraging on the forest floor or calling from low understory branches. Confined to the islands of Buru and Seram. Gives a distinctive soft, quivering two-part whistle: “waaaaaaaoop-aaaaaaww.” First part ascends, and the second is a mournful, descending whistle.

An entirely black, short-tailed, pale-eyed crow confined to the island of Peleng in the Banggai Islands. Occurs in groups within canopy of montane forest. Tail just barely extends beyond wingtips when perched. Shorter-tailed and shorter-billed than Slender-billed Crow, and shows a pale eye, unlike that species. Voice also differs. Song is a “whee-kew-kew-kew,” with a rasping note starting the series and higher-pitched, ascending whistles following.

A handsome tiny flycatcher with a long spiky tail. Note the conspicuous broad white eyebrow and white chin. It has black-and-brown streaking down its back and rusty sides. Inhabits tall grasslands in the lowlands that are rarely disturbed; can be hard to spot in the tall vegetation. Not very vocal; the song is a series of weak and short “tweee tweee tweee” notes.