Damara Tern

A fairly small, slender bird of lower montane grassy valleys. Warm brown above and on the belly, with a white throat and a faintly streaked grayish chest. Note indistinct pale brow and pale barring across the base of the undertail. Very skulking. Similar to Long-tailed Bush-Warbler, but has shorter tail and grayish rather than deep brown underparts. Also similar to Philippine Bush-Warbler but with less distinct pale eyebrow. Song is a sequence of piercing and grating ringing notes repeated at regular intervals.

Crisp emerald-green forest-dweller. Male has a dark blue throat patch outlined by a thick black border. Female has a pale blue throat with no dark border. Only similarly-colored bird in range is the Golden-fronted Leafbird, which has an orange forehead. Jerdon’s Leafbird is a species of lowland and foothill forests, particularly dry open wooded areas and forest edges. Joins mixed-species flocks, particularly at flowering and fruiting trees. Song is an assemblage of harsh squeaks, buzzing notes, whistles, and imitations of other species.  

A small, slim dark starling. The eyes are brown, and females show chestnut patches in the wings in flight. Found in the canopy of montane forest, mostly at middle elevations, usually in small flocks which frequently gather at fruiting trees. Perches out conspicuously on dead snags and other open perches. Similar to Waller’s Starling, but smaller and slimmer, with brown rather than red eyes, and only females have reddish wing patches. Very similar to Stuhlmann’s Starling, but separated by range. The most common call is a simple “tweep.” Also gives a subdued chattering.