Pallid Honeyguide
Indicator meliphilus
Small and nondescript honeyguide. Note the short but chunky bill and the white patches on the sides of the tail. Found along forest edge, in forest, and in thick woodland, where it is uncommon and inconspicuous. The main call is a slowly repeated “twee-ya.” Very similar to Least and Lesser Honeyguides, but has a smaller bill and a paler head that lacks a dark facial stripe. Similar to Wahlberg’s and Green-backed Honeyguides, but has a thicker bill.
Taxonomy
The species is very closely related to Willcocks's honeyguide, and the two species are very similar in size, and this species will even respond to recordings of the Willcocks's honeyguide's voice. Another species, Indicator narokensis has been described from the border of Kenya and Tanzania, this appears to been described from a juvenile pallid honeyeater and is not accepted as a valid species.
- Scientific name
- Indicator meliphilus
- Authority
- (Oberholser, 1905)
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Indicatoridae
- Genus
- Indicator
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Dusky-cheeked Fig-Parrot
Nannopsittacus melanogenia
A small, short-tailed parrot of lowland forest and edge, mainly at low elevations. Green body with dark blue in the wing, and a dark forecrown and cheek. Males have a white line separating the cheek, crown and bill, and usually an orange chest. Female has a darker face, less orange on the breast, and an orange patch behind the dark cheek. Usually found in small groups. Most similar to Double-eyed Fig-Parrot, but Dusky-cheeked has blackish instead of red forecrown and cheek, and an orange breast. Calls a sharp, high-pitched “tsik!” or excited twittering which often betrays their presence in a tree.
Sooty Oystercatcher
Haematopus fuliginosus
Heavy-set shorebird with entirely black plumage and long, thick reddish bill. It has a distinctive fleshy red or yellow eye-ring and very thick pale-pink feet and legs. Exclusively coastal, where it can be found walking around on the edge of rocky headlands, on rock shelves, and along rocky beaches on small islands. Typically found in pairs or small groups. Its call is a loud slow whistled "chew", or when agitated a rapidly repeated "squeaky toy" call.
Flores Crow
Corvus florensis
An entirely black crow confined to the island of Flores. Found in small, vocal parties within forest in lowlands and hills. Overlaps with Large-billed Crow, and similarly large-billed, but Flores Crow is smaller-bodied with a relatively smaller bill, and lacks the pronounced steep forehead characteristic of Large-billed Crow. Flores Crow is also a forest species, avoiding open habitats, and has a distinctive voice. Vocalizations are odd for a crow, including babylike, whining, high-pitched “waa” and “we-we-we” calls, the latter sometimes followed by a deep “kyop.” Also gives high “kraaa” notes, a throaty, disyllabic “kwiyou,” and other gurgling sounds.
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