Zebra Woodpecker

This medium-sized sunbird of the Western Ghats is similar in appearance to Crimson Sunbird, but the two ranges do not overlap. Male is bright red with a gray belly and iridescent blue-green tail and head markings. Female is dull gray overall with a paler belly. Young males are similarly dull, but often have dull red patches, particularly on the breast. Forages actively in small flocks in upper levels of foothill forest and forest edge. Squeaky song and high “seep” calls comparable to Crimson Sunbird.

A large, stocky pigeon that is found on islands off the shore of Halmahera and far western Papua. Gray head, emerald-green back and wings, blue tail and rusty vent. The eye is red and there is a large knob-like projection on the front top of the bill. Found in a variety of forested habitats, and some wander between islands, sometimes straying to the mainland. Voice a deep, gravelly, 2-note “grrr-waw”, with the second note higher than the first. Similar Spectacled Imperial-Pigeon may co-occur but is separated by its white spectacle around the eye and lack of a knob on the bill.

Breeding adult male is royal blue with a white belly and orange throat and chest. Brown female is dull and potentially confusing, but note pale orange throat, rufous uppertail, and overall small stout appearance. Non-breeding and immature males are similar to females, but have blue wings and back. Breeds in moist broadleaf evergreen montane forest; descends into open forest and forest edge in the winter. Forages at middle levels, often with mixed-species flocks. Song is a brief series of high thin notes followed by a clicking rattle.