Brown-chested Alethe
Chamaetylas poliocephala
An easily overlooked, locally common bird found in the understory and on the ground in forests, especially in hilly terrain and near water, from the lowlands up to middle elevations. The reddish-brown back and tail are noticeable when the bird flies away in the undergrowth, but also look for the bright white eye-stripe, the gray face and crown stripe, and the bright white undersides. Distinguished from the Fire-crested Alethe by its distinctive bright white eye-line and bright pink legs. Mainly silent, but will sometimes give a short whistled “wheep!” or harsh “djar” chatter notes.
Taxonomy
The brown-chested alethe was formally described in 1850 by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte based on a manuscript by Coenraad Temminck. Bonaparte gave the binomial name as Trichophorus (Griniger) and the locality as Africa. The locality has been restricted to the island of Bioko (formally Fernando Po). The specific epithet combines the Ancient Greek polios meaning "grey" with -kephalos meaning "-headed". The brown-chested alethe is now one of four species placed in the genus Chamaetylas that was introduced in 1860 by Ferdinand Heine.<p>Nine subspecies are recognised:
- Scientific name
- Chamaetylas poliocephala
- Authority
- (Bonaparte, 1850)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Genus
- Chamaetylas
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Brown-capped Tyrannulet
Ornithion brunneicapillus
Tiny short-tailed flycatcher. Yellow below with white eyebrow that wraps around the forehead. No wingbars. Very similar to Yellow-bellied Tyrannulet, but note brown crown (not gray). Voice is also distinctive: a series of plaintive clear whistles descending in pitch. Found singly or in pairs, usually in the forest canopy, where it can be difficult to spot given its small size. Sometimes joins a mixed-species flock.
Tawny Owl
Strix aluco
Medium-sized owl with deep black eyes; strictly nocturnal and infrequently seen. Brown to gray overall with a big rounded head. Favors woodland, forest, parkland, urban areas and churchyards with large trees; tends to roost well hidden in foliage during the day, when may be detected by tracking down the excited sounds of small birds mobbing the owl. Comes out at night to hunt in clearings and more open areas. Most often detected by its quavering hoots and "kee-wik!" shrieks, given at night.
White-headed Vulture
Trigonoceps occipitalis
A medium-sized, mostly dark vulture with an angular, naked, pale pink head and bulky coral-colored beak. In flight, the adult’s white “armpits” extend out as a stripe along the middle of the underwing; the larger females differ from males by having all-white innermost flight feathers. Widespread in open country but declining rapidly outside of protected areas. Often one of the first vultures to arrive at a carcass but also scavenges the kills of eagles; sometimes hunts and kills small mammals, birds, and reptiles.
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