African Hill Babbler
Sylvia abyssinica
Unusual warbler with a gray head and underparts and a rich brown back. There is some geographical variation, and one subspecies in south and east Tanzania shows a black face. Found in tangles in the mid-story of montane forest. Shy and skulking bird that is usually in small groups. Most often detected by voice: a chatty, up-and-down series of slurred whistles. Somewhat similar to illadopsises, but usually found in the mid-story, not on or near the ground.
识别特征
The African hill babbler is an arboreal robin-like forest bird with a thin bill, bright reddish brown back and a contrasting grey head and nape. The grey underparts are faintly marked with white streaks and the belly is paler than the breast. There is a yellowish tinge to the feathers on the flanks and the thighs. The brown eyes turn red, probably when the birds are breeding. The bill has a black upper mandible, a paler lower mandible and the legs are greyish blue. The African hill babbler weighs 14-25g and their length is 13–15 cm.<p>The song of the African hill babbler is a rich, melodious warble and resembles the songs of thrushes and orioles and is composed of separated whistled phrases with frequent pitch changes, and may have some scratch notes and lower pitched whistles too.
分类信息
The African hill babbler was described by the German naturalist Eduard Rüppell in 1840 under the binomial name Drymophila abyssinica. The type locality is the Simen Mountains, northern Ethiopia.<p>There are currently six recognised subspecies:<p>The distinctive black-headed Rwenzori hill babbler (Sylvia atriceps) has been considered as a subspecies. Fry et al. (2000) state it has the same vocalizations and behaviour as other races, and do not give it the status of a separate species; however, Collar & Robson (2007) split them.<p>This species is now considered a member of the genus Sylvia.
- 学名
- Sylvia abyssinica
- 命名信息
- (Rüppell, 1840)
- 目
- Passeriformes
- 科
- Sylviidae
- 属
- Sylvia
分布与栖息地
The African hill babbler has a disjointed distribution in the highland regions of western and central Africa from southeastern Nigeria east to central Ethiopia and south to northwestern Mozambique. The natural habitats of the African hill babbler are montane forest and adjacent secondary forest, in dense undergrowth at forest edge and in clearings. Also found in gallery forest.
- 迁徙
- Resident species
行为
The African hill babbler lives in pairs which forage within 2m of the ground, gleaning insects from leaves and picking fruit. It will also feed in the canopy and will join mixed species foraging flocks. It usually keeps concealed among creepers and vines and is most often detected by voice.
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- declining
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Green-crowned Warbler
Phylloscopus burkii
Medium-sized warbler with green upperparts, yellow underparts, a bright yellow eyering, and a gray crown bound by two black stripes. Extremely similar to several closely related species; luckily, range prevents much confusion throughout these species’ natural ranges. Primary confusion species is Whistler’s Warbler, from which it may be distinguished visually, albeit with significant difficulty. In Green-crowned, note weak break at rear of eye-ring (while the eyering of Whistler’s is thickest at the back end), longer and more slender bill, shorter tail, more solidly black crown stripes, and slightly brighter green upperparts. As with many physically similar species, using a combination of these field marks is preferable in identification. Active, frequently flitting about in the lower levels of forest, sometimes associating with foraging flocks. Breeds in both evergreen and deciduous broadleaved forest in hilly and montane areas; moves to lowland areas in the winter. Averages lower than Whistler’s Warbler in altitudinal breeding preference, and overlap is fairly minimal. Song is a strung-together series of ringing “witchy-witchy-witchy” or “tzewee-tzewee-tzewee” phrases, and unlike song of Whistler’s, includes jumbled trilling segments. Call is a short, succinct “wit wit!”.
Red Avadavat
Amandava amandava
Strikingly pretty small finch. Males are largely red and covered in white spots with dark wings and tail. Females are gray with a rufous rump. Both sexes have a red beak. Gives a very musical song a high "teei" call. Found in grassy areas close to water and often near human habitation, particularly areas with wet rice paddies.
Great Thrush
Turdus fuscater
True to its name, Great Thrush is noticeably large, almost recalling a jay rather than a thrush. Brown overall, varying across range from dark blackish to paler grayish-brown. Note orange bill and legs and yellow eyering (males only). Common and conspicuous in highlands from 2,000–4,000 m. Found in open habitats including forest edges, gardens, towns, and cities, where it is often bold and easy to see. Compare with Chiguanco Thrush, which overlaps in some areas. Great Thrush is larger, darker, and males have yellow eyering.
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