Northern Hawk-Cuckoo
Hierococcyx hyperythrus
A large, elusive cuckoo of lowland woodlands; plumages of both adults and juveniles mimic plumages of sparrowhawks. Adult gray above and pale below, with light orange suffusion on breast and sides; strikingly similar in plumage to Japanese and Chinese sparrowhawks, but has a much thinner bill (bicolored in adults) and a more lithe and smaller-headed profile. Juvenile brown above and white below, with heavily streaked underparts. Song a feverish, rapidly accelerating "chu-witchy-chu-witchy!”
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Hierococcyx hyperythrus
- Authority
- (Gould, 1856)
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Family
- Cuculidae
- Genus
- Hierococcyx
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- PAL : se Siberia, Japan, Korean Pen. and ne China
- Non-breeding range
- to se Asia, n Borneo and n Sulawesi
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Partridge Pigeon
Geophaps smithii
Medium-sized pigeon, usually seen on the ground in open woodland or along roadsides in northwestern Northern Territory and the northern Kimberley in Western Australia. Plain brown plumage, with white stripe along the edge of the breast. Distinctive facial markings, with comical red (Northern Territory) or yellow (Western Australia) facial skin. Takes flight with a loud clatter of wings. Compare Squatter Pigeon, Flock Bronzewing (with black-and-white facial markings), and both Chestnut-quilled and White-quilled Rock-Pigeons (with pale wing panels).
Necklaced Spinetail
Synallaxis stictothorax
Handsome spinetail found in arid areas of western Ecuador and northwestern Peru. Note white eyebrow, streaked breast, buffy flanks, and chestnut wings and tail. Pairs stay fairly low in deciduous forest and scrub, often skulky and difficult to see. Listen for squeaky chatters and sputtering trills.
Little Woodswallow
Artamus minor
Chunky bird with broad, triangular wings and short, decurved bill. Dark brownish-gray plumage, lacking white in primaries (compare larger Dusky Woodswallow). Tail black with white tip broken by black at the center. Grayish underwings contrast with dark belly in flight, though not to the degree seen in other woodswallows. Usually in small flocks, foraging high above rocky cliffs and gorges, or huddled together when perched.
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