Bornean Banded-Pitta

Attractive and often confiding laughingthrush, often found around lodges and trails. Endemic to Borneo’s highlands, where it can be one of the most frequently-encountered birds in montane forest and forest edge. Note dark chestnut head, gray body, bright orange bill, and bright silvery wing stripe. Pale crescent behind eye gives it a cartoonishly large-eyed appearance. Hops on the ground and along branches, often with small mammals and other birds, particularly Sunda Laughingthrush. Song, often heard at dawn, is a series of repetitive, rising, mellow warbles. Calls include a harsh buzzing “churrrrr” and rattling notes.

Adorable small fulvetta with large, liquid cartoon eyes. Plain brown overall. Dark crown patterned with jagged pale streaks, and pale face marked with a broad black stripe above the ear and a smaller “teardrop” below the eye. Inhabits foothill and montane forests. Social and often found in mixed flocks. Clambers around agily on trunks and branches while foraging. Song is a rapid but somewhat halting series of high-pitched chip notes. Calls include similar chips, as well as rattles and sharp disyllabic notes.

A small brown songbird that skulks in reed-beds and dense vegetation near water. Streaked back, flanks, and breast; graduated tail often cocked upright. Larger, brightly colored Tawny Grassbird has longer tail, lacks streaks on chest. Usually detected by song, a clear, high-pitched, three-noted whistle.