Ochre-bellied Boobook

Ninox ochracea

A medium-sized brown owl with a rounded head. Note the rufous underparts, clear white eyebrows, and striking yellow eyes. Upperparts chocolate-brown with bold white spots on the wings. Found in understory in lowland and foothill forest, roosting in the day in pairs or small groups within tangled thickets. Occurs at lower elevations than Cinnabar Boobook, and differs in its white eyebrows and brown upperparts. Gives a strident growling song, “woo-wooOW,” with a longer, louder second note. Also gives a single frog-like “grrrrow.”

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Ninox ochracea
Authority
(Schlegel, 1866)
Order
Strigiformes
Family
Strigidae
Genus
Ninox

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
declining

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

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Brown parrot with yellow belly, red undertail, and blue face, found in dry woodland habitats of the extreme southeastern part of Western Australia, on the western fringe of the Nullarbor Plain. In flight, the blue wings and red shoulders contrast with pale brown back; lacks the bright green back of other desert parrots. Identify from the very similar Greater Bluebonnet by a completely yellow belly and also by range.

Rothschild's Swift

Rothschild's Swift

Cypseloides rothschildi

Uncommon swift found along the east slope of the Andes from central Bolivia to northwestern Argentina. Uniform sooty brown, lacking any strong plumage characteristics. Easily confused with Sick’s Swift, but is larger with longer wings, giving it a sleeker and more aerodynamic appearance; also lacks a pale throat, though this is often hard to see clearly. In central Bolivia it could be mistaken for Chestnut-collared Swift (some of which lack a chestnut collar), but wings are slightly narrower at the base. Usually seen in flocks of a few birds up to 20 or more that circle over humid forest.

Comoro Blue Vanga

Comoro Blue Vanga

Cyanolanius comorensis

Beautiful blue-and-white vanga – the only member of this mainly Malagasy family that is found in the Comoros. Male is bright blue, with a blue bill; female duller blue, with faintly peach underparts, and a dark bill. Found in remnant humid forest on the Comorian islands of Mohéli and Grand Comoro. Usually found in pairs, often in mixed flocks with other bird species. Call is a rasping scold that is repeated incessantly. Colorful bird that is unmistakable within its restricted range.

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