Rufous-chested Flycatcher
Ficedula dumetoria
This handsome little flycatcher has the endearing habit of fanning its tail and flicking its wings when agitated. The male’s long slender white eyebrows and orange breast make him unmistakable; wintering male Mugimaki Flycatchers may cause some confusion, but that species has a smaller, block-like eyebrow patch and a broader, shorter white wing patch. Females are brown above and whitish below with an orange chest and rufous tail; her combination of plain brown wings, warm-toned tail, and a fairly uniform head pattern separate her from female Snowy-browed and Mugimaki Flycatchers. Female “blue flycatchers” can be similar, but they are more slender and have proportionally longer bills. Found in foothill and montane forests, where it forages in dense low thickets, typically singly or in pairs. Song is a brief 3–4-note phrase of very high, thin notes: “tsee-a-tsee-tsee”, or “tsee-ah-tsee”.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Ficedula dumetoria
- Authority
- (Wallace, 1864)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Genus
- Ficedula
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Barnacle Goose
Branta leucopsis
Handsome and distinctive. A rather compact and fairly small goose with big white face patch, silvery upperparts, and black neck and breast sharply demarcated from white belly. Breeds mainly in Greenland, Iceland, and Spitsbergen, and locally around the Baltic Sea. Winters in farmland and grassy wetlands mainly in coastal lowlands throughout northern Europe. Free flying feral birds resident locally at lakes and parks in the U.K. In main wintering areas, occurs in hundreds or even thousands; elsewhere, singles and family groups can be found among flocks of other geese. Rare but increasing visitor to northeastern North America, almost always with flocks of Canada Geese.
Montezuma Quail
Cyrtonyx montezumae
A remarkably patterned quail, uncommon and difficult to spot as it runs through open grassy woodlands in dry regions of the southwest U.S. and Mexico. Male looks like he’s are wearing a black-and-white helmet; otherwise look for bold spots and streaks covering body and wings. Female is more subtly patterned with shades of brown; look for rounded, puffy head shape. Between bursts of running, often crouches motionless and becomes nearly invisible. Rarely flies unless flushed at very close range; most often seen crossing a road or trail. Male song is a rich descending whistle with unique ethereal tone like an incoming spaceship.
Silvereye
Zosterops lateralis
Tiny bird with an obvious pale eyering. Subspecies vary in plumage; most have a green head, green lores (area between bill and eye), yellowish throat, gray (or green) back, pale gray underparts, and green wings and tail. The migratory Tasmanian subspecies has brownish flanks. Rather common, seen in small flocks that feed in bushes and shrubs in the mid-story. The only species of white-eye over much of its range.
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