Buru Golden-Bulbul
Hypsipetes mysticalis
A thrush-sized olive-colored songbird with a long, fairly heavy bill. Plumage uniform olive-green except for narrow yellow chin, yellow patch between the bill and the eye, and partial yellow eye-ring above the eye. Pairs or small groups occupy forest, degraded forest, edges, and plantations from sea level to foothills. Unmistakable; limited to the island of Buru. Song starts with several soft “pip” or “chek” notes, then explodes in a series of variable whistles, e.g. “WEE-WEE-WEE-WEK-pewee-pewee-WEE-WEE.” Calls include dry “chek” notes and rasping “chirrrik” calls.
Taxonomy
The Buru golden bulbul was originally classified in the genus Criniger, and has also been classified in the genus Alophoixus. Until recently, it was considered conspecific with the Seram golden bulbul and the northern golden bulbul.
- Scientific name
- Hypsipetes mysticalis
- Authority
- (Wallace, 1863)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Pycnonotidae
- Genus
- Hypsipetes
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Gray-breasted Spurfowl
Pternistis rufopictus
A large gray-and-brown francolin with bare red skin on the throat and around the eyes. Also note the red bill, the dark gray legs, and the chestnut, buff, and black markings along the sides of the belly. Pale patches in the outer wings are conspicuous in flight. Found in fairly dry thorn savanna, woodland, and thickets, usually in pairs or small groups. Similar to Red-necked Francolin, but there is little overlap in range, and separated by the brown legs and many plumage details. Also similar to Yellow-necked Francolin, but easily separated by the red or sometimes orange (rather than yellow) throat. The call is a fading series of grating “kreaaak” notes.
Saffron Toucanet
Pteroglossus bailloni
Unmistakable yellow toucan with a long two-toned bill: half red and half greenish-yellow. The iris is pale and framed with bare red skin. Also note the red rump. Usually seen in the canopy of humid and second growth forests in small groups, sometimes descending to visit feeding stations.
Banded Wattle-eye
Platysteira laticincta
A cute and dumpy black and white flycatcher-like bird with striking red eye-wattles. The sexes differ: male has a broad black chest band and white throat; female has black chest and throat with only a small white chin patch. Juvenile browner, with indistinct eye-wattles. Pairs are resident, flitting around the middle canopy of primary and secondary montane evergreen forest. Restricted to the highlands of western Cameroon, where it is an endangered species. Calls include a repeated grating “chhrrt-er-cheert-cheert” interspersed with clicks, buzzing notes, and wing-flitting noises, similar to other wattle-eyes. Black-throated Wattle-eye is similar to Banded, but prefers woodland and has a white wingbar.
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