Sierra Madre Ground-Warbler
Robsonius thompsoni
A medium-sized bird of the forest floor from the lowlands to low elevations in the mountains in northeastern Luzon. Fairly stout, with a pale lower bill, long legs, and large feet. Pale below, with a grayish, faintly scaled chest and brown under the base of the tail. Note rufous face and forehead with pale bare skin in front of the eye, brown upperparts with two dotted white wingbars, and chestnut flight feathers. Note the white throat with black speckling below and a thin black moustache stripe. Unmistakable. Song consists of a very high-pitched “tseeee-sip tsee-wee!”
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Robsonius thompsoni
- Authority
- Hosner, Boggess, Alviola, Sánchez-González, LA, Oliveros, Urriza & Moyle, 2013
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Locustellidae
- Genus
- Robsonius
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Blackthroat
Calliope obscura
A somberly-colored robin which breeds in dense bamboo thickets. Male is slate-gray above (only a hint of blue may be detected in good lighting) with a white belly and black bib. Female is brown with a paler belly and a rusty-brown tail. Forages on the ground and in low bushes like most other small robins. Shy, usually keeping close to cover. Song is a series of distinct, separated phrases consisting of bright fluid warbling, high buzzy trills, and buzzy warbling.
Rainbow Pitta
Pitta iris
Small black and green pitta with red undertail coverts and gleaming blue shoulder. Primarily green upperparts, with underparts mostly black head and underparts. Usually found feeding on the ground in rainforest patches with lots of leaf litter but has also been found in a wide variety of other habitats. During breeding season it can be quite vocal, particularly males. This is the only pitta resident in the Top End of the Northern Territory and in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
Black-bellied Seedcracker
Pyrenestes ostrinus
Colorful, chunky waxbill with a massive, conical bill. Both sexes have a red hood and tail, but males have a black base color and more red, and females a brown base color. Found in a variety of lush habitats, including forest edge and understory, moist scrub, marshes, and plantations. Shy and inconspicuous. Often in pairs. The call is an explosive, metallic “zink” and the song a quick, explosive jumble. Similar to bluebills, but separated by the all-bluish bill.
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