African Paradise-Flycatcher
Terpsiphone viridis
This remarkable flycatcher occurs in both rufous and white morphs, but it always has grayish underparts and a strong crest. The breeding male has ludicrous central tail feathers, twenty centimeters long, that trail like the ribbon of a rhythmic gymnast, while the female lacks the tail streamers and has a smaller crest. Singles and pairs occasionally join flocks in open woodland, riverine forest, and thickets, avoiding lowland evergreen forest. Very vocal, often giving a repeated grating “dzee-zwee” call and a sweet melodic “willie-willie-willie-wee-wooo” song. The very similar Rufous-vented Paradise-Flycatcher differs from African Paradise-Flycatcher by having a rufous undertail and a shorter crest.
识别特征
The adult male African paradise flycatcher is about 17 cm (6.7 in) long, but the very long tail streamers double this. It has a black head, neck and underparts, and chestnut wings and tail. There is a prominent white wingbar. The female has a browner tint to the underparts and lacks the wingbar and tail streamers. Young birds are similar to the female but duller.<p>The males show considerable variation in plumage in some areas. There is a morph of this species in which the male has the chestnut parts of the plumage replaced by white, and some races have black tail streamers.<p>This species readily hybridizes with the genetically similar Rufous-vented paradise flycatcher. The red-bellied paradise flycatcher is also closely related to this species, and hybrids occur with the underparts a mixture of black and red.
分类信息
The African paradise flycatcher was originally described in the genus Muscicapa. Alternate names include the grey-headed paradise flycatcher, red-winged paradise-flycatcher and Southern paradise-flycatcher.<p>Ten subspecies are recognized:
- 学名
- Terpsiphone viridis
- 命名信息
- (Müller, PLS, 1776)
- 目
- Passeriformes
- 科
- Monarchidae
- 属
- Terpsiphone
分布与栖息地
The African paradise flycatcher is found in most parts of Africa south of the Sahara Desert and also the Arabian Peninsula. Its typical habitat is savannah woodland, open grassland with isolated trees, plantations, open woodland and scrubland.
- 迁徙
- Complete migrants
行为
The African paradise flycatcher is a noisy bird with a harsh scolding call. It has short legs and sits very upright whilst perched prominently, like a shrike. It is insectivorous, often hunting by catching flies on the wing, and eating eggs, larvae and adults. It also feeds on spiders and sometimes consumes berries. The cup-shaped nest is built in a tree and a clutch of two or three eggs are laid.
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- stable
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Peruvian Sierra Finch
Phrygilus punensis
Chunky finch-like tanager of high elevations. Males are yellow with a gray head, wings, and tail; females are similar but duller. Found in a variety of dry, open habitats including scrub, agricultural areas, and Polylepis woodlands. Often forages in groups on the ground, and may associate with other sierra-finches and similar species. Distinctive within its range; replaced by the similar Black-hooded Sierra-Finch farther south.
Iranian Ground-Jay
Podoces pleskei
Strange brownish corvid restricted to eastern Iran. Pinkish-buff overall, with a slightly decurved bill and black-and-white wing coverts. Also note black tail and black “badge” on chest. Inhabits flat sandy deserts with interspersed vegetation, where it forages on the ground in pairs or small flocks. Gives a series of high squeaky notes comparable to the sound of fingernails on a blackboard, typically in the early morning.
Matinan Flycatcher
Eumyias sanfordi
A chunky, drab flycatcher with a heavy hooked bill. Has a gray head with indistinct pale marking around the eye. Warmer olive-brown above with rufous-tinged tail, wings, and rump; underparts pale gray. Juvenile grayish with bold speckling on the chest. Inhabits understory of montane forest. Restricted to northern Sulawesi. Lacks the white belly of female Blue-and-white Flycatcher and the yellow belly of Sulphur-bellied Whistler. Short, melodious song is a burst of jumbled warbling notes that regularly rises and falls in pitch.
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