Olive-backed Flowerpecker

Pachyglossa olivacea

A tiny bird of lowland and foothill forest and edge. Golden-olive above, darker on the edge of the wing, with white underparts and dark gray from the sides of the throat becoming broad streaks on the sides of the chest. Note the slightly hooked bill and the red eye. From below, somewhat similar to Pygmy Flowerpecker with its dark sides, but Olive-backed has a golden-olive back. Voice includes a sweet, high-pitched upslurred whistle and a sharp “tsik!” call, sometimes run together in a rapid series.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Pachyglossa olivacea
Authority
Tweeddale, 1877
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Dicaeidae
Genus
Pachyglossa

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Other Birds

Amur Falcon

Amur Falcon

Falco amurensis

The male of this small falcon is sooty gray with rufous-orange thighs and vent. The females are duller gray above, and their white underparts are well marked with dark chevrons. The combination of reddish-orange eyering, cere, and feet distinguishes them from all other falcons. These champion migrants breed in eastern Siberia and winter in southern Africa, often congregating in huge roosts on passage through India. They feed mainly on insects that they either catch on the wing or pick from the ground.

Gray-hooded Warbler

Gray-hooded Warbler

Phylloscopus xanthoschistos

Delicately beautiful small warbler with a greenish back, lemon-yellow underparts, a cinder-gray head, and bright white eyebrow stripes. Somewhat similar to Yellow-bellied Warbler, but note yellow instead of white throat. Forages actively in the upper levels of broadleaf and mixed montane forest, often in open patches. Sometimes descends to lower elevations in the non-breeding season, often turning up in foothill forest edges and gardens. Song is a high-pitched “tchi-tchi-cheeseewee-cheeseewee.” Calls are high, thin double notes. 

White-headed Vanga

White-headed Vanga

Artamella viridis

Mid-sized black-backed vanga with a typical bill. Males are pure white on the head and underparts, while females are pale gray. Madagascar endemic that is found at low and middle elevations in all forest types, and sometimes in adjacent plantations and scrub. Vocalizations include harsh scolds and penetrating hollow whistles. Larger than Chabert Vanga, with a completely pale head. Smaller than Sickle-billed Vanga, with a much shorter bill. 

Start Your Bird Watching Journey

Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.