Palawan Blue Flycatcher

A nocturnal inhabitant of open arid woodlands and thornscrub. Perches on ground from which it makes floppy and erratic flight upon its long wings in pursuit of insects. During the day it nestles in shaded leaf litter, wherein its cryptic coloration hides it well. Both the Hispaniolan Nightjar and Chuck-wills-widow are considerably larger, darker, and lack the Least Pauraque’s white terminal tail band. Calls include a low scratchy “wuck-wuck-wuck-wuck,” a low-pitched rising and trilled “tooooooeeeeeee,” and a similarly low-pitched trilled “oo-weee-oo,” with emphasis on middle syllable. The calls of the Hispaniolan Nightjar is a lower pitched “toooooeeeeeo.”

Very small woodcreeper of evergreen forest in humid tropical lowlands and foothills. Creeps up trunks, often in spirals, picking at the bark for food, then flies low to another tree before hitching upwards again. Forages on fairly large trunks as well as slender trees. Often travels with mixed-species feeding flocks. Note the short, wedge-shaped bill and pale buffy breast spotting.

Plumage relatively dull and dark: grayish brown to grayish above with weak darker streaking; dingy whitish below with heavy and rather blurry dark streaking. Also note the dark legs (pink on smaller and buffier Meadow Pipit, which often occurs in coastal grassland adjacent to Rock Pipits). Song is a bland, repetitive, high-pitched series, often accelerating towards the end. Call a high, lisping, slightly harsh "ssiip", very similar to that of Water Pipit. Like other pipits, walks strongly and often pumps its tail a little. Found along rocky coasts; infrequent inland. Often seen on rocks and adjacent areas with short grass.