Bubbling Cisticola

Large, conspicuous songbird with long decurved bill, dark mask, whitish eyebrow, brownish crown, and dark eye. White throat and breast extends to belly; lower belly and undertail dark. Forages mostly on the ground in noisy flocks, in dry open woodlands across southern Australia.

Striking small flycatcher with a black crest. Has a chestnut head, a black breast band, and gray underparts. Males have a black back, females an olive back. Note the yellow feather edges to the wings in both sexes. Inhabits the understory of humid forest, dense second growth, and seasonally flooded forests, favoring areas with dense vine tangles or bamboo. The song is a series of low “chewp” notes interspersed with double “chewp-chewp” notes, easily mistaken for a frog or insect.

A beautiful malimbe locally distributed in Central Africa and restricted to lowland primary forest and its edges, where it is often found high above the ground in small groups or with mixed-species flocks, sometimes with other species of malimbe. Both males and females are wholly black with yellow vents and orange chests that fade to yellow at the edges. Males also have an orange crown and neck, giving them a collared appearance. Overlaps with several other species of malimbe, but distinguished by the yellow vent and orange chest with yellow edges. Calls are short, mechanical squeaks, while the song is a longer series of notes that incorporates dry rasps, similar to the songs of other weavers and malimbes. Rachel’s Malimbe appears to be particularly fond of musanga trees, also known as corkwood or umbrella trees.