Flores Monarch

Medium-sized owl typically found in mountainous regions with mixed conifers and oaks. Overall brown with bold white spots on belly and back. Black eyes, unlike most other owls; main confusion species is Barred Owl. Spotted is well-named, with much more obvious spots on chest and belly than Barred Owl, and lacks distinct vertical stripes. Also note voice: one hoot, followed by a pair of hoots, followed by a final single hoot. Two separate populations: birds along the Pacific coast and the Sierra Nevada average darker, richer brown than birds further south and inland.

A pretty and distinctive bird that always lacks the long tail streamers possessed by some paradise-flycatchers. Note the rufous back and tail and the gray underparts. Males and females differ slightly: males have a black cap and a blue eye-ring, whereas females have a dark-gray cap without a distinctive eye-ring. Fairly common on Reunion in all types of humid forest. Rare on Mauritius in remnant rainforest patches. Calls include a tearing “sree-sreeet” and an agitated twittering. The song is a long musical series of “twee” notes.

A thrushlike bird with a long, graduated tail. Males are glossy black above and rich chestnut below. Females are similar but paler. Juveniles are reddish brown with rusty wingbars. Occurs in dense lowland and hill forests, forest edge, and overgrown orchards and plantations; widely poached for the cagebird trade in much of its native range, and declining severely or extirpated from certain areas as a result. The song is a varied series of loud whistles and flutelike notes, often involving mimicry of other birds; does not repeat phrases. Call is a sharp “tsick.” Introduced to the Hawaiian Islands and Taiwan.