Masked Bunting

A medium-sized bird of mid-montane forest. Yellow belly, olive back and white throat. Male has a black head and border to the throat. Female has a brown head and diffuse olive chest band. The male is similar to several other golden whistlers but lacks the yellow patch behind the head. Female is similar to Regent, Lorentz’s and Vogelkop Whistler’s but has white throat and brown head. Voice, a series of typical whistlerlike “chew!” or “whip!” notes that get louder and end with an explosive quality.

A stunning long-tailed waxbill with a red bill, mauve cheeks, and a blue rump. The underparts are vibrant chestnut in the male and cream-buff in the female. Pairs are resident in arid thorn savanna and drier woodlands, where they forage on the ground and lower layers of scrub, often in the company of other finches. The species can be secretive, flying quite a distance when flushed. The Black-faced Waxbill is dark like Violet-eared Waxbill, but it has a red rump, a dark mask, and barred wings. The Purple Grenadier lacks mauve cheeks, and its range does not overlap.

An unusual white-eye with dark plumage and a long, curved bill. Mostly gray with an olive-green wing and rump and a broad white eye-ring. Found on the island of Mauritius in remnant scraps of humid forest, including secondary areas dominated by exotic plants, mostly at middle and high elevations. Vaguely similar to Mauritius Gray White-eye, but easily separated by the white eye-ring and the olive-green color in the plumage. The most common calls are accelerating series of “veet” and “sit” notes.