Madagascar Hoopoe

A small brown songbird with a long tail, often held cocked or fanned. Upperparts largely rufous except for a grayer head with a pale brow. Shows a white throat and uniform buff underparts. Inhabits lowland forest and sometimes mangroves. Confined to the Tanimbar Islands. Told from Arafura Fantail by the lack of a white tip to the tail and the absence of a black breast patch. Gives a distinctive, repetitive, see-sawing two-note song phrase, “wee-oo-wee-oo-wee-oo,” rising on the first note, falling on the second. Also gives nasal jittering calls.

Long-tailed game bird of tropical forest and edge, usually found in small groups. Note the clean white belly and white tail tips. Voice and behavior is similar to the larger West Mexican Chachalaca, but chorusing song of White-bellied is less harsh and scratchy. Where their ranges overlap, in southwest Chiapas, the West Mexican Chachalaca (which has dingy, buffy-white belly and buffy tail tips) lives in foothills, while the White-bellied Chachalaca lives in coastal lowlands.

Uncommon throughout most of its range, this elusive rock thrush breeds in rocky hill forest in northeastern China and Russia and migrates down the East Asian coast to winter in southern China and mainland Southeast Asia. Beautiful and distinctive male has a blue crown, orange underparts, and black wings marked with a bright white patch; small white patch on throat is not obvious and difficult to see. Female is brown with scaly markings on her back and breast; she lacks a pale crescent behind the eye. Usually stays low in shrubbery, but male will sing from an exposed perch.