White-crested Tyrannulet

An active, slender, unstreaked warbler with a long graduated tail that is sometimes cocked. Gray-brown above and pale below, with a distinctive pale eyebrow. Found near water, but in arid areas, in tall grass, reeds, and bushes. Similar in appearance to Tawny-flanked Prinia, but slimmer and paler below, and also usually distinguished by habitat and song. The song is a quick series of high-pitched “seep” notes, similar to Tawny-flanked Prinia’s but higher-pitched, purer, and less scratchy. 

A medium-sized blue-and-white kingfisher with a big, heavy black bill. Bluish-green upperparts and chest band contrast with creamy white underparts and white neck patch. Tail and rump lighter blue. Found along slow-flowing lowland rivers. Common Kingfisher is smaller, with orange underparts, and Little Kingfisher is much smaller with a comparatively thinner, weaker bill. Bismarck is told from dwarf kingfishers by larger size, heavier bill, and plain blue upperparts not flecked white. Told from all other blue-and-white kingfishers by blue hindneck and lack of black mask. Call is a loud whistle, stronger and less hissing than Common Kingfisher’s.

Rare and often excruciatingly difficult to find, this is the only large gray game bird on Hainan. Usually detected by the loud, scratching noises made by flipping and scuffling leaves as it forages. Very similar to the closely related Gray Peacock-Pheasant, with which it shares no range overlap. Gray overall with dark blue-green dots on the wings and tail. Male is longer-tailed, with a short bushy crest and a small patch of red skin around the eye.