Rand's Warbler

Tiny quail-like bird that is actually more closely related to shorebirds. Intricately patterned above, with a buffy-orange breast and pale belly. Note black spots on the upper sides of the chest. Female is the better-marked of the two sexes. Found in grassy or scrubby areas, where it can be difficult to see; listen for female’s low sonorous moos, most commonly given at dawn and dusk.

A small, slender hawk with a yellow bill base, yellow legs, and orange-yellow eyes. Adults are slaty-gray above with a rufous collar and a vinous breast that fades on the belly to light pink in the north Moluccas and to white in the south Moluccas. Immatures are brown and heavily streaked below. Does not soar; typically seen perched. Inhabits tall forest from sea level to foothills. Confined to the Moluccas. Rufous collar of adult separates it from adult Chinese Sparrowhawk, Moluccan Goshawk, and central Moluccan Variable Goshawks. Smaller than Moluccan, Meyer’s, and north Moluccan Variable Goshawks. Paler-bellied than Moluccan and Variable Goshawks. Immature Rufous-necked Sparrowhawk is streaked underneath, without bars, unlike immatures of Moluccan and Variable Goshawks and Chinese Sparrowhawk.  Immature Meyer’s Goshawk is similar, but Rufous-necked is smaller-bodied and smaller-billed. Underwings not white with black tips, unlike Chinese Sparrowhawk. Gives a shrill “ki-ki-ki-ki…” series.

A somewhat large nocturnal inhabitant of wooded areas including gardens and parks; roosts in tree cavities or dense foliage during the day. The Barn Owl is of similar size, but it is much paler and lacks the Jamaican Owl’s prominent ear tufts. Vocalizations include a low, gruff “wa-waaa-o” and a crescendo/decrescendo “whoa.”