Western Bluebill
Spermophaga haematina
A stout-billed, boldly patterned finch of forest understory and overgrown areas near the forest edge, often found near water. Can occur alone or in mixed-species flocks. Note the blue bill, the bright red underparts, and the black back. Males have black heads and bellies, whereas females have red faces and white-spotted black bellies. Western Bluebill is the only bluebill or seedcracker in which the male has a black head. Calls include high-pitched whistles: “psiu.” Songs include longer series of clear whistles with varying pitch.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Spermophaga haematina
- Authority
- (Vieillot, 1807)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Estrildidae
- Genus
- Spermophaga
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Black Munia
Lonchura stygia
A small bird of reedbeds and flooded grasslands in the Trans-Fly of New Guinea. Black underparts and face, brown to blackish upperparts, yellow rump and tail, and a pale silver-blue bill. Usually seen in small flocks. Adult is distinctive in range, but juveniles similar to co-occuring White-spotted and Gray-crowned Munias, but juvenile Black Munias show more contrast between dark upperparts and paler underparts. Gives a short “twe-twee” call.
Black-fronted Piping-Guan
Pipile jacutinga
Rare, threatened, and spectacularly-plumaged black-and-white guan with a long black tail. Head is striking with bold white eyering and shaggy white cap contrasting with its red and blue wattle, its blue, black-tipped bill, and its black face. Usually seen in the canopy of large and well-preserved patches of montane and lowland Atlantic Forest. The song is a high-pitched rising whistle, but also often makes distinctive wing-whirrs like other guans.
Mariana Kingfisher
Todiramphus albicilla
A medium-sized, very pale kingfisher. Body and head mostly clean white, sometimes with a light green cap and cheek, and with a black eye-stripe extending around behind the head. Bill is black with a yellow lower base. Wings are bluer than the green back and tail. Found in most habitats, but prefers coastal forest. Voice little known, but reported to be a series of loud barking calls.
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