Sangihe Cicadabird

A mostly green lorikeet with a relatively rounded tail and bright orange bill and feet. Bright blue crown and large red throat patch are diagnostic. Widespread through most habitats, but nomadic, often traveling between islands in search of food. Unique within its range. Vocally distinctive, with a common high-pitched “seeEEE” call. Interaction calls are more complex reels of squeaking and squealing.

The male of this small falcon is sooty gray with rufous-orange thighs and vent. The females are duller gray above, and their white underparts are well marked with dark chevrons. The combination of reddish-orange eyering, cere, and feet distinguishes them from all other falcons. These champion migrants breed in eastern Siberia and winter in southern Africa, often congregating in huge roosts on passage through India. They feed mainly on insects that they either catch on the wing or pick from the ground.

Spinetail with a largely dark body contrasting with a rich rusty crown, wings, and tail. Note the streaked whitish throat. In its tiny range, found in the understory at the edge of remnant humid forest fragments and in adjacent second-growth vegetation. The call is a repetition of “teh-teh-teh” notes.