Yellow-breasted Racquet-tail
Prioniturus flavicans
A large green parrot with a thin pair of tail rackets, confined to North Sulawesi and satellite islands. Entirely green, except for distinct yellow wash on breast and collar. Males show a small red crown patch. Juveniles lack rackets. Found in pairs and groups in canopy of forests and edges in lowlands and foothills. Prominent yellow breast and large size of this species distinguish it from Golden-mantled Racquet-tail. If rackets are not seen, note the silvery-gray bill, unlike Blue-naped Parrot. Noisy, giving varied vocalizations. Song is a high-pitched “kut-ut-ut-kler-kler.” Also gives screeches, squeaking, piping, and ear-splitting “kraa” notes.
Identification
The yellow-breasted racket-tail has an olive-green back, neck and chest. The bill is pale grey and its irises are brown. Its legs are grey. Males are blue on the top of the head with a red area on the crown. The tail feather are green with terminal black spatulas. Females have a smaller area of blue on the head and no red. Juveniles are similar to females, but have less blue on the head.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Prioniturus flavicans
- Authority
- Cassin, 1853
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittaculidae
- Genus
- Prioniturus
Range and habitat
Prioniturus flavicans is mainly found on the northern peninsula of the island of Sulawesi (along with other smaller nearby islands such as Bangka Island) and the Togian Islands. This bird's natural range only exists the country of Indonesia.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
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Gray finch-like bird with an oddly elongated bill. It is only found in boulder fields and other rocky areas of the high Andes, usually above treeline. Females are browner than males, and young birds are faintly streaked. Long bill and white smudge below eye distinguish it from Plumbeous Sierra Finch. Always found on or near rocks, and often perches with its head tilted upward.
Yellow-rumped Munia
Lonchura flaviprymna
Small finchlike bird with brown wings, pale bill, and yellowish rump. Found in areas with tall grass, often in flocks beside rivers or floodplains, sometimes mixed with other seed-eating species. Pale gray head contrasts with dark brown back and wings, underparts pale buff, and rump and tail dark yellowish tone. Juvenile very plain, easily confused with juvenile Chestnut-breasted (which has less uniform upperparts) or Pictorella Munia (which has shadow pattern of dark ear coverts, recalling adult’s).
Versicolored Barbet
Eubucco versicolor
Brightly colored barbet of montane forest. Males are green with a yellow breast, a red belly band, and a red head; the color of the whisker can be blue or yellow depending on the subspecies. Females have a blue face and a greener body. Both sexes have a pale greenish-yellow bill. Often found singly or in pairs with mixed-species flocks, foraging in the mid-story and canopy of humid forest. Listen for a musical purr with a punctuated introductory note: “PA-prrrrr.”
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