Black Scrub-Robin

A medium-sized, dark brown owl with distinctive yellow eyes. Note the small white spot between the eyes. Lower belly may often be paler and show some barring. Only active outside of daylight hours. Quite common throughout its range in plantations, forest edges, and groves. Call is a fluty, double-noted “whoo-up.”  

Distinctive and unusual prinia with heavily barred underparts. The mountain-dwelling birds in the eastern part of the range show a dark throat, while in the rest of the range, the throat is barred like the rest of the underparts. Note the white wingbars and spotting under the tail. Skulks in the undergrowth of forest, mostly around clearings and edges. Usually in pairs. The song is a series of mettalic “plink” notes.

An acrobatic, swift-like raptor with angular wings and a massive gape; capable of snatching prey from the air and devouring it in a flash while still on the wing. Dark with varying amounts of white on the underside; African birds have patchy white throughout the underparts, while white is restricted to the throat and lower belly on New Guinean birds and solely to the throat in Southeast Asian birds. Inactive during the day; hunts at dawn and dusk, and occasionally into the night if light is sufficient. Generally uncommon and localized, most reliably encountered near large bat roosts in forested areas, but can also be seen over open forest, fields, and fringes of habitation.