Philippine Drongo-Cuckoo
Surniculus velutinus
A slender, medium-sized bird of lowland and foothill forest. Entirely black with glossiness in the wing and in the slightly flared tail. Forages for insects in the forest canopy. Resembles Balicassiao and Hair-crested Drongos, but smaller, with a thinner bill and no fork in the tail. Song is a steadily rising series of whistled notes.
Identification
The Philippine drongo-cuckoo (Surniculus velutinus) is a bird of the cuckoo family found only in the Philippines. It was formerly a subspecies of the Square-tailed drongo-cuckoo. It is found in tropical moist lowland forest up to 1,000 meters above sea level. It is declining due to habitat loss.
Taxonomy
Genus: Surniculus; Family: Cuculidae; Order: Cuculiformes.
- Scientific name
- Surniculus velutinus
- Authority
- Sharpe, 1877
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Family
- Cuculidae
- Genus
- Surniculus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Gray-and-buff Woodpecker
Hemicircus concretus
Small stout woodpecker with an oversized crested head and black-and-white scaling on the back. Males have a brilliant red front to the crest that females lack. Agile and active, frequently foraging in the upper canopy or on exposed snags. Crawls along trunks, sometimes descending headfirst like a nuthatch. Found in lowland and hill forests. Gives high-pitched squeaks, descending “peer” notes, and rattles.
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
Merops persicus
A lime-green bee-eater with a thin black mask edged with aquamarine blue. Bright yellow-and-red throat patch is small compared to many other bee-eaters. Somewhat similar to Blue-tailed Bee-eater; look out for less extensive blue around the eye on Blue-tailed, the namesake blue tail, and a larger orange throat patch compared to Blue-cheeked Bee-eater. Found in open areas as well as forests from lowlands up into middle elevations. Gives a pleasantly mellow call starting off with a ticking note, followed by a trill.
White-tailed Cisticola
Cisticola anderseni
A relatively colorful medium-sized, long-tailed cisticola. The center of the tail is blackish, but the tips and edges are white. Also note the gray-brown back with thick black streaks, rufous on the wing and cap, and whitish underparts. Found very locally in and around the Kilombero Swamp in tall grass and reedbeds. The common vocalizations are a series of several squeaky notes in quick succession, and a very fast dry trill. Similar to Winding Cisticola, but separated by the white edges to the tail.
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