Warsangli Linnet
Linaria johannis
A fine-billed finch with a notched tail. Neatly patterned mostly in gray and white, with black wings and tail and a rufous lower back and thighs. Male has a striking white eyebrow, lower cheek patch, wing notch, and rump. Female is duller, with a less striking facial pattern; juvenile is buffier and streakier. A rare resident in the hilly Daalo and Mash Caleed regions of northern Somalia, where it prefers degraded juniper forest and other woodland and scrub between 1200 and 2400 meters of elevation. Forages on the ground in pairs or small groups, and perches on exposed branches and dead trees. Sings a typical canary-like song with whistles, trills, and buzzes. Calls include a high-pitched “tsee-wit.” Streaky juvenile could be confused with a canary, but white in the wing is distinctive.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Linaria johannis
- Authority
- (Clarke, S, 1919)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Fringillidae
- Genus
- Linaria
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
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Jameson's Antpecker
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A small, slender-billed, warbler-like waxbill with pinkish-brown legs and different-looking sexes: the male has a red forehead, dull brown upperparts, and a rusty-chestnut face and underparts, while the female has a tawny-brown face and cheeks, pale buff underparts with scattered dark chevrons, and dull brown upperparts. Pairs and small groups forage by themselves or in mixed-species flocks, in the understory and middle levels of primary, secondary, and gallery forest, often near water. Eats insects, with a fondness for ants. Call is a high-pitched, downslurred “whseet.”
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