Yellow-throated Longclaw

A large coastal kingfisher with a gleaming white head, a thin black line behind the eye, and a blue-green back. Juvenile duller, with buff on crown and underside. Found singly or in pairs in mangroves, on beaches, and along rocky shorelines, where it often perches on exposed rocks or in trees bordering coast. Clean white crown and narrow (not wide) black strip behind eye distinguish it from all forms of the smaller Collared Kingfisher. Vocal, giving harsh calls: a “choo-chew” descending on the second note and a rapid, agitated “kip-kip-kip-kip-kip.”

Medium-sized sunbird of foothill and montane forests; most often seen hanging around flowering trees and bushes, especially mistletoe. Male is blinding crimson with a white belly, a long crimson tail, and a dark moustache stripe. Male Crimson Sunbird is similar but lacks the red tail and white belly of the male Temminck’s. Female Temminck’s is very plain and difficult to distinguish from other sunbirds; watch for a distinct gray wash on the head, a white belly, and a faint russet tinge to the wings and tail. Sings a thin, soft “tsi-tsi-tsi’.

Brightly-colored swallow found on the Malay Peninsula. Dark iridescent blue above with rusty-orange underparts, rump, and face. Similar to migratory tytleri subspecies of Barn Swallow but lacks its dark blue collar and white tail patches. Like many other swallows, flies over a range of different habitats, from fields to forests; usually in hilly areas.