Steel-blue Flycatcher
Myiagra ferrocyanea
A small flycatcher with a white belly and a blue-black head, chest, and upperparts. Upright posture is distinctive. Female pale below with pale blue head and back; wings and tail rusty red, throat white. Prefers native forest and gardens as well as mangroves. Usual call is a rising or falling whistle, “tuuu-iii.” Also gives harsh rasps.
Taxonomy
Alternate names for the steel-blue flycatcher include Solomons flycatcher, Solomons Myiagra flycatcher, Solomons satin flycatcher and steel-blue Myiagra.<p>Four subspecies are recognized:
- Scientific name
- Myiagra ferrocyanea
- Authority
- Ramsay, EP, 1879
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Monarchidae
- Genus
- Myiagra
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Bronze-winged Jacana
Metopidius indicus
Gangly inhabitant of well-vegetated wetlands, especially ponds and lakes with floating vegetation. Adult’s dark neck and bright white eyebrows are unmistakable. Juvenile’s white cheek and orangish neck can lead to confusion with Pheasant-tailed Jacana; look for Bronze-winged’s wholly brown wings.
Vinous-breasted Myna
Acridotheres leucocephalus
Medium-sized starling of forest edge, agricultural fields, and open scrubby or grassy areas. Thin black bandit’s mask, dull grayish-pink chest, pale iris and plain yellow bill. Slightly buff rump, tail tip, and flashing white wing patches are most prominent in flight. Like many other starlings, typically encountered in pairs and flocks. Similar to Chestnut-tailed Starling, but Vinous-breasted has a mask and pale rump. Gives loud grating calls and chattering calls when foraging. Native to southeast Asia, but introduced on Taiwan and in Israel.
Pileated Finch
Coryphospingus pileatus
A distinctive gray finchlike bird found at forest edges and in light woodlands and scrub. Males are mostly gray with a white throat and a black crown with a red center, which can be erected when the bird is excited. Females are brown above and paler below with weak streaks on the breast.
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