Grande Comore Bulbul
Hypsipetes parvirostris
A medium-sized greenish-gray bird with a black cap and a carrot-colored bill, endemic to the middle and high elevations of the mountains of Grand Comoro. Found in humid forest and in adjacent plantations and secondary areas. Often in small, noisy groups. Very similar in appearance to Madagascar Bulbul, and they overlap at moderate elevations, especially in degraded habitats. Grand Comoro Bulbul is separated by the slightly larger size, the olive tint to the plumage, especially on the back, the yellowish tint to the underparts, and the paler belly and undertail. Its song is an unmusical series of rattling and scraping notes, often given from a high perch, similar to Madagascar Bulbul’s, but slightly lower-pitched and more metallic.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Hypsipetes parvirostris
- Authority
- Milne-Edwards & Oustalet, 1885
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Pycnonotidae
- Genus
- Hypsipetes
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Nauru Reed Warbler
Acrocephalus rehsei
A medium-sized warm brown reed warbler with a thin straight bill and very rounded wings. Head, shoulders, and back are rufous tinted. Shows a strong pale eyebrow. Found in gardens, coastal scrub, and escarpment forest. Voice little known, but song apparently melodious and thrush-like.
Fülleborn's Boubou
Laniarius fuelleborni
Mid-sized bushshrike that is completely black. Found in the undergrowth of humid forest at middle and high elevations. A skilled skulker that is most often detected by voice. Gives a wide variety of vocalizations, which include whistles, explosive notes, frog-like calls, and ratchets. The most common vocalization is a quick series of three whistles: “whit-whit-wee.” Very similar to Slate-colored Boubou, but found in montane forest rather than lower-elevation savanna and woodland.
Sula Dwarf-Kingfisher
Ceyx wallacii
A small kingfisher with an entirely orange bill, dark blue upperparts, a paler blue stripe down the upperside, a white throat, and orange underparts. Also note the orange-washed pale patch on the sides of neck and the orange forehead patch. Inhabits forest understory. Confined to the Sula islands. Overlaps with Blue-eared and Common Kingfishers, but note Sula’s smaller size, entirely orange bill, and darker blackish-blue upperpart coloration. Gives an extremely high-pitched, shrill “tseeeeip” call, as is typical of dwarf-kingfishers.
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