Samoan Triller

A reddish-brown cuckoo with a long, often shaggy-looking tail. Juvenile shows a pale eye and a paler breast and throat than adults. The species favors vine tangles within forest and forest edge in lowlands and foothills, where it is usually encountered singly or in pairs. The entirely brown body, lacking black, separates this species from Lesser Coucal. Song is a series of “hoot” notes that often encourages other nearby coucals to respond. Alarm call is a harsh, short rasping “burr.”

A mid-sized raptor of montane forests. Adult has a black back, tail and hood, with deep tawny underparts and collar. It has a plump body and small-headed appearance. Similar to some lowland goshawk species but Black-mantled has black instead of gray upperparts. Juvenile is similar to adult Chestnut-shouldered Goshawk, but Black-mantled is smaller with a streaky head and lacks the black crown. Call, a slow series of squeaky “wi! wi! wi!” notes which can accelerate.

Males are striking with a mostly glossy black body, but with a red forehead, crest, and back. Females are uniformly olive-green and also crested. Locally common in gallery forests embedded in savannas where it often accompanies mixed-species flocks. The song is a trilling series of alternately soft and loud whistles.