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
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Pale-billed Hornero
Furnarius torridus
Chunky, chestnut-colored bird found only near large rivers in the western part of the Amazon basin. Plumage is chestnut-brown with pale eyebrow, throat, and belly. Separated from Pale-legged Hornero by darker breast, face, and crown; from Lesser Hornero by larger size, darker breast, and pale (not dark) legs. Inhabits understory of densely wooded and seasonally flooded forest along rivers and on river islands. Song is a descending whinny.
Yellow-eared Barbet
Psilopogon australis
Small leaf-green barbet, endemic to Java and Bali. Note bright sky-blue patches on face, shoulders, and undertail, as well as a bright yellow patch below each eye. Inhabits lowland and foothill forests, as well as forest edge. Like other barbets, can be difficult to see: listen for its song, an insect-like series of notes, given in groups of four. Also gives a high “whew’ew” and sharp pips.
Blue-throated Piping-Guan
Pipile cumanensis
Large, lanky, black and white bird of lowland rainforest. Note the bare, white face and white wing patches, which really stand out in flight. Crown and nape are also mostly white, but also streaked with buff. It has a fleshy throat patch that is typically blue, but it may be gray or black on some birds. Mostly arboreal, but sometimes descends to the ground to feed or drink. Song, often given at dawn or dusk, is a rising series of clear whistles. Occasionally rattles its wings loudly in flight.
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