Bianchi's Warbler

A round-bodied, short-tailed, long-legged terrestrial bird with a red belly. Broad, iridescent blue chest band is bordered with thick black lines. Reddish-brown crown shows an indistinct blue line. Also shows paler brown cheeks and green upperparts. Juvenile is brown with a pale bill base and gray eyes. Singles or pairs forage on forest floor in lowlands and foothills. Unmistakable in limited range on Sulawesi and adjacent islands. Song is a drawn-out, two-part whistle with a longer, trembling first note followed by a falling, mournful note: “waaaaaaaop-wooowow,” as is typical of the genus.

A small, gemlike species that prefers higher elevation moist woodlands, but also occurs in coffee plantations. The rather large head, long bill, and short tail create a profile shared only by the Broad-billed Tody within its range. Both species have bright green upperparts and a red throat and sides. Note especially the pale eyes of Narrow-billed Tody, as compared to the dark eyes of Broad-billed. Many Broad-billed also have a buff-yellow wash below, which the Narrow-billed lacks. On birds lacking buff below, the Broad-billed can be identified by its all red lower bill, which is black tipped in the Narrow-billed. Further clues to identification include altitude, with this species occurring above 700 meters elevation and the Broad-billed occurring mostly below 700 meters. The Broad-billed also tends to forage higher within woodlands on more open perches. Vocalizations include a buzzy “chik-zhwik” with second note slightly upslurred and a rapid buzzy chatter at about 14 notes per second; compare this with the quick “weep” or “whip” uttered by the Broad-billed.

Large brownish honeyeater with bare black facial skin and a long, pointed, black bill topped by a small rounded "horn". Uniformly gray-brown with upperparts a darker shade than the underparts. Care should be taken to distinguish it from Silver-crowned Friarbird (which has an angular edge to the upper rear portion of the black facial skin, as well as a slightly larger "horn" on the bill). Also similar is the Noisy Friarbird (which has a completely bare head). Found along the tropical Queensland and Northern Territory coasts—where it can be common in a variety of habitats including parks, gardens, mangroves, and forests. The "Sandstone" subspecies in Arnhem Land is quite different in habitat; it occurs in inland sandstone areas. Typically very loud, with has a variety of harsh, loud squawks, including the "poor devil" call.