Raffles's Malkoha
Rhinortha chlorophaea
Long-tailed cuckoo that clambers about in the branches like a squirrel. Male predominantly bright rufous-brown with darker tail, female has gray head and chest. Both sexes have bright blue skin around the eye and blue bill. Forages in middle levels of vegetation in lowland and foothill forests, singly or in pairs. Gives sharp meowing calls (often repeated), as well as croaks and chirping notes.
Identification
Long-tailed cuckoo that clambers about in the branches like a squirrel. Male predominantly bright rufous-brown with darker tail, female has gray head and chest. Both sexes have bright blue skin around the eye and blue bill. Forages in middle levels of vegetation in lowland and foothill forests, singly or in pairs. Gives sharp meowing calls (often repeated), as well as croaks and chirping notes.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Rhinortha chlorophaea
- Authority
- (Raffles, 1822)
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Family
- Cuculidae
- Genus
- Rhinortha
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Solomons Frogmouth
Rigidipenna inexpectata
A bizarre-looking nocturnal bird with large bulging eyes. Brown or rufous in color with barred tail and wing feathers and white-blotched wings. Camouflage is exceptional. Rarely encountered, but recorded from sea level up to 700 meters of elevation. Superficially similar to Solomons Nightjar but unlikely to be confused. Reported to give a series of whistles rising or descending in pitch, but vocally poorly known.
Needle-billed Hermit
Phaethornis philippii
Large, tawny-orange hermit. Owes it name to its nearly straight bill, which is usually very slightly downcurved. Light orange below, greenish brown above, with a dark brown mask and long white tail tips. Usually prefers more upland areas than other hermits, away from water and especially around bamboo and in terra firme forest.
Eastern Nicator
Nicator gularis
Unusual bushshrike-like bird with a heavy hooked bill. The underparts are pale, and the upperparts are olive-green with bold white spotting. The yellow corners of the tail can be conspicuous in flight. Found in forest, thickets, and dense woodland. Skulking and secretive, usually remaining inside of tangles in the understory and midstory. Very vocal, and most often detected by voice: a quick jumble of wooden notes. Range does not overlap with other nicators.
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