Wallacean Whistler

A small, plump finch with a very thick pink bill. The black head and white cheek patch are distinctive. Juveniles have a similar color pattern but are grayer. Social; forages in flocks and roosts communally. Forages in rice fields, grasslands, meadows, and urban and suburban areas (in introduced range). Call consists of one or more musical chirps. Native to the Indonesian islands of Java and Bali, where now quite rare. Introduced widely across the globe including India, Philippines, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and the Hawaiian Islands.

Common and conspicuous, this flashy, long-tailed crow relative is unmistakable, and its loud chattering calls are a familiar sound in many areas. Found in open and semiopen areas from farmland and open woodland to towns and gardens, singly or more often in pairs or groups. Bulky stick nest often conspicuous in tall tree or hedgerow. Boldly pied plumage is distinctive, with white belly, white back, and white wing patches. Wings show blue-green gloss in good light.

Tiny hyperactive ping-pong ball of a bird. Unlike any other Bornean white-eye in appearance; note gray-brown upperparts, yellow-washed underparts, pale gray face, pale eyes, and white-speckled “scaly” forehead. Inhabits submontane and hill forests and forest edge, particularly in scrubby growth and stunted vegetation. Forages at middle and upper levels of forest in flocks, often mixed in with other species. Calls are high and squeaky. Also known as Bornean Ibon.