African Tailorbird
Artisornis metopias
Tiny, short-tailed forest sprite with a rusty head, grayish breast, white throat, and long bill. Restricted to eastern Arc montane forest; population on the Uluguru Mountains is darker than others, and with more chestnut on the head. Pairs and small groups skulk in bracken and along other forest edge and undergrowth. Gives a strident and repeated “tzeeew-tzeeew-tzeew”, sometimes in duet with a short rising buzzy “tzier” or other buzzy notes.
Identification
The red-capped forest warbler is olive-brown above with a whitish color from the center of the throat to the vent, and with flanks that are washed grey. The crown is a rich chestnut brown, as well as the ear-coverts and the sides of the neck. Immature individuals have a pale yellow wash on their undersides. The average adult is 10 cm long and has a mass of approximately 8.4 g.
Taxonomy
The red-capped forest warbler was formally described in 1907 by the German ornithologist Anton Reichenow from a specimen collected in the Usambara Mountains of Tanzania. Reichenow coined the binomial name Prinia metopias. The specific epithet is from the Ancient Greek metōpias meaning "having a high forehead". This warbler is now placed with the long-billed forest warbler in the genus Artisornis that was introduced in 1928 by the American ornithologist Herbert Friedmann.<p>Two subspecies are recognised:
- Scientific name
- Artisornis metopias
- Authority
- (Reichenow, 1907)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Cisticolidae
- Genus
- Artisornis
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Turati's Boubou
Laniarius turatii
Chunky black-and-white bushshrike. The upperparts are cleanly black and the underparts are white with a pinkish wash, especially on the breast. Uses habitats with a dense understory, including riparian thickets within savanna, as well as forest edge. Usually found in pairs. Similar to Tropical Boubou, but there is little overlap in range, and Turati’s is separated by the lack of a white shoulder patch. The typical vocalization is a duet in which the male gives a hollow, rising whistle and the female a low, rasping, frog-like note.
Barred Honeyeater
Gliciphila undulata
Well-marked medium-sized honeyeater with a long, thin bill. Densely scalloped white and brownish plumage with dull olive-brown wings distinguishes this species from all other honeyeaters on New Caledonia. Found throughout the island, but more common at higher elevations and in higher-quality native habitats. Most commonly heard vocalization are low-pitched, mellow whistles, often given as couplets but sometimes as longer series.
Kashmir Flycatcher
Ficedula subrubra
Stubby little flycatcher with a highly restricted range; breeds in a corner of the northwestern Himalayas and winters in isolated pockets of hill forest in southern India and Sri Lanka. Male is gray above and bright orange below; female is paler, with only a faint orange wash on the chest. Note white panels on each side of the black tail. Breeds in forests at 1800-2700 meters of elevation, favoring areas with dense undergrowth. Winters in forested edge areas, including orchards and gardens.
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