Bulletin 346 - China 2019 #4 - Babblers, warbler, flycatcher

I had a brief trip to SW China and managed a few days birding. I was particularly interested in 2 critically endangered primates there, as well as a new bird species discovered about a decade ago.

Babbler is a name of small songbirds in at least 6 different bird families. The Timaliidae family has 55 species and they are called scimitar babblers or just babblers and include the Nonggang Babbler that we say in Bulletin 344. I saw 3 others in this family on the trip. 

The 8" Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler (Pomatorhinus ruficollis) is a beautiful bird. There are several subspecies including one without a streaked breast. This is the styani subspecies, the most colorful with the rufous breast with white stripes.

Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler

The 5" Grey-throated Babbler (Stachyris nigriceps) is a brown bodied bird with gray head and some white streaks.

Grey-throated Babbler

The last of this family is the 5" Pin-striped Tit-Babbler (Macronus gularis). It is a yellow breasted bird with brown back and wings, rufous cap, and thin breast streaks.

Pin-striped Tit-Babbler

The next family is Pellorneidae and contains fulvettas and ground babblers. Until about 2008 they were included in the above family.

The 5.5" Buff-breasted Babbler (Pellorneum tickelli) is small wren like brown bird with pink legs and a red eye.

Buff-breasted Babbler

The 5" Huet's Fulvetta (Alcippe hueti) I had photographed on my previous China trip. It is a brown bird with a gray hood and white eye ring.

Huet's Fulvetta

The 4.5" Yellow-bellied Warbler (Abroscopus superciliaris) is in the small (32 species) cettia bush warbler family. It is the second of this family I have photographed. It is olive above, yellow below with a gray head and bright white eye stripe.

Yellow-bellied Warbler

The last bird is an old world flycatcher. It is the beautiful 11" White-rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus). This is a male with the blue black back and breast and rusty belly. The long tail is black and white. This bird has also been introduced into Hawaii.

White-rumped Shama - male

I put the different bird families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 5 of the 55 species of  scimitar babblers

I have photos of 2 of the 70 species of  fulvettas and ground babblers

I have photos of 2 of the 32 species of cettia bush warblers

I have photos of 36 of the 328 species of  Old World flycatchers

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2019 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.

Bulletin 345 - China 2019 #3 - Bulbuls, vireo, crow, magpie

I had a brief trip to SW China and managed a few days birding. I was particularly interested in 2 critically endangered primates there, as well as a new bird species discovered about a decade ago.

Bulbuls are a large (153 species) Old World family of birds, so one can find several species on any trip to Africa or the Orient. I photographed 3 new species on the trip. The first is the 8" Black Bulbul (Hypsipetes leucocephalus). The subspecies I saw is all black with a red bill, and legs. Interestingly as you can see from the species name, there are subspecies with white heads.

Black Bulbul

Next is the 9" White-throated Bulbul (Alophoixus flaveolus). This is a brown backed bird with yellowish breast and white throat and a nice bushy crest. The range of the bird is Himalayas to Thailand and just barely makes it into southern China. The Birds of China says it is an occasional bird in limited range of China. So it was a treat to find it.

White-throated Bulbul

Last is the 7" Black-crested Bulbul (Pycnonotus flaviventris). It is a yellow bird with a black head and crest.

Black-crested Bulbul

The corvidae family (134 species) consists of crows, jays and magpies. Crows are familiar and mostly all black birds so nothing special to look at. I saw the 20" Large-billed Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos).

Large-billed Crow

More interesting are the long tailed magpies. The 19" White-winged Magpie (Urocissa whiteheadi). This is a black and white bird with bold white wing patches and white tip of the tail. It is listed as endangered with a declining population. The Birds of China says this bird is recorded only sporadically in mainland China. This pair was attracted to a feeding station by some meat that can be seen on the branch.

White-winged Magpie

And the pair on the branch.

White-winged Magpie

The 64 species vireo family are all in the New World except for 10 species. I saw my first one in the Old World on this trip. The 5" White-bellied Erpornis (Erpornis zantholeuca) is olive above and grayish below. He has a bushy crest. It is a monotypic genus and was formerly called the White-bellied Yuhina and was considered to be in the babbler family until 2008.

White-bellied Erpornis
previously called White-bellied Yuhina

I put the different bird families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 14 of the 153 species of  bulbuls

I have photos of 41 of the 134 species of crows, jays, magpies

I have photos of 24 of the 64 species of vireos


Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2019 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.

Bulletin 344 - China 2019 #2 - Nonggang Babbler and non passerines

I guess I am partial to rare birds and animals . I do not mind passing up a lot of common ones to see rarities. Such was this trip to see the langur in the last bulletin.

In southwestern China close by the Vietnam border is the Nonggang Natural Reserve, established initially for 2 primates including the langur we saw last time. A new bird was discovered there in 2005 and accepted in 2008. The Nonggang Babbler (Stachyris nonggangensis) is a songbird that spends most of its time on the ground searching for insects.

It is a 6" brownish and gray bird with a white throat patch and distinctive white crescent on the cheek. It has a pale iris. 

Nonggang Babbler

Many of the people who live near the reserve have set up feeding stations for visiting birders, so my guide and I were able to visit one of these and see the birds close up. They attract the insect eating birds with some grubs. This is an easy bird to see in the right place haha. One can see the yellow grubs on the rock.

Nonggang Babbler

After observing them being fed for 15 minutes, the birds flew back into the forest and perched about 15 feet away to wait for more food.

Nonggang Babbler

The bird is listed a vulnerable due to its restricted range in the reserve. There is similar habitat across the border in Vietnam, so it may occur there as well. The IOC actually does list it in both countries. This bird was definitely the highlight of the trip along with the primate.

I photographed 2 new woodpeckers. The first is the 8" Rufous Woodpecker (Micropternus brachyurus). It is a reddish brown woodpecker. The male has a red cheek patch.

Rufous Woodpecker - male

The 3.5" White-browed Piculet (Sasia ochracea) is listed as uncommon, so to get a photo perched in the open was fantastic. It has an olive back and orange below. This is a female with the rufous forehead. The male would have a yellow forehead. Of interest, it only has 3 toes, rather then most woodpeckers with 4 toes.

White-browed Piculet - female

The only falcon was the 13" Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). This is a male with the brown back and gray cap.

Common Kestrel - male

The 9" Collared Scops-Owl (Otus lettia) is a small gray owl with a thin sandy collar.

Collared Scops-Owl

I put the different bird families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 5 of the 55 species of  scimitar babblers

I have photos of 54 of the 234 species of woodpeckers

I have photos of 14 of the 65 species of falcons

I have photos of 32 of the 216 species of typical owls

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2019 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.

Bulletin 343 - China 2019 #1 - Old World flycatchers, sunbirds, primate

I had a brief trip to SW China and managed a few days birding. I was particularly interested in 2 critically endangered primates there, as well as a new bird species discovered about a decade ago.

Old World flycatchers are a very large family (328 species). So wherever you go in Eurasia or Africa you will encounter several species. 

Most of the ones I photographed were partly or completely blue colored. The 6" male Hainan Blue Flycatcher (Cyornis hainanus) is all blue with a white belly. The female is brown.

Hainan Blue Flycatcher - male

The 8" male Large Niltava (Niltava grandis) is blue above and charcoal below.

Large Niltava - male

The 7" male White-tailed Robin (Myiomela leucura) is all dark blue with white outer tail feathers and it has white spots on neck that the guide book says are usually concealed. My photo shows the white spot!

White-tailed Robin - male

The 7" male Verditer Flycatcher (Eumyias thalassinus) appeared in the fog to be all light blue like our Mountain Bluebird. However, the guide book describes it as greenish-blue.

Verditer Flycatcher - male

The 6" male Red-flanked Bluetail (Tarsiger cyanurus) is bluish above, white below and reddish orange flanks.

Red-flanked Bluetail - male

 Sunbirds are small nectar feeding songbirds that occupy the same ecological niche as hummingbirds. The males are brightly colored and the females are dull olive. The 4" male Fork-tailed Sunbird (Aethopyga christinae) has an olive back, black face, turquoise tail with 2 long projections and a purple throat.

Fork-tailed Sunbird - male

The amazing 5" Crimson Sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja) has a red head, throat. and upper back. Interestingly, it has a huge range from western India to Sulawesi. There are many subspecies, and one has been split already (Philippines) and the remaining complex may consist of 3 different species.

Crimson Sunbird - male

There are more than 20 species of primates in China, with most concentrated in southwestern China along the border of Vietnam, Laos and Burma. I was hoping to see a couple of them as they are among the rarest primates in the world.

I saw only the White-headed Langur (Tachypithecus poliocephalus). This medium sized monkey is black with a white head. The long tail is white as well. Infants are golden colored. Adults weigh up to 22 pounds. Wikipedia says this is the rarest primate in Asia, with remnant populations in southern Guangxi province of China and on Cat Ba Island off Vietnam. It is estimated that there are less then 70 of this species in the world and I saw a group of 8 of them!

Here is an adult.

White-headed Langur - adult
Guangxi China

And another

White-headed Langur - adult
Guangxi China

Here is a juvenile, molting from the golden color.

White-headed Langur - juvenile
Guangxi China

What a treat to see such a rare animal up close.



I put the different bird/mammal families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 36 of the 328 species of  Old World flycatchers

I have photos of 11 of the 145 species of sunbirds

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2019 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.

Bulletin 342 - 100 Birds to See Before You Die - # 3

I discovered this book "100 Birds to See Before you Die" by 2 Brits David Chandler and Dominic Couzens about 11 years ago while browsing in a bookstore on vacation. The sub title is "The Ultimate Wish List for Birders Everywhere". It sort of peaked my interest as a 'bucket list' of the rarest and most unusual birds in the world, according to the 2 authors.

It has the smallest (Bee Hummingbird)  and largest (Ostrich) birds, some of the most beautiful (Birds of Paradise) and some quite ugly (Shoebill) and strange (Hoatzin). There are birds on all the continents as well as Arctic and Antarctic regions. 

There are also a number of island endemics. In the south Pacific, there are entries for Hawaii (1), New Caledonia (2) , New Guinea (3), Sulawesi (1), Mindanao (1), and New Zealand (2). The Galapagos has 1 entry.  Madagascar has 3. The Caribbean is well represented with Cuba (1), Hispaniola (2) and Montserrat (1).

There are about 240 families of birds, so obviously they are not all represented on this list. There are 3 each of Birds-of-Paradise, Gulls and Terns, Cotingas, and Tyrant Flycatchers. There are several unique birds that are sole members of their family. These are the Hoatzin, Kagu, Oilbird, Crab Plover, Ibisbill, Wallcreeper and Shoebill, For those of us in North America, not a single New World Warbler is on the list.

Each entry has a full page photograph and facing page article of what makes the bird rare, unusual or interesting to warrant its inclusion.

This is the third group of 10 birds. The first installment is here. And the second is here.

Number 86 is the Paradise Tanager (Tangara chilensis). This very gaudy bird is what everyone thinks jungle birds should be like. It is a resident in Amazonia.

Paradise Tanager

Number 68 is the Golden-headed Manakin (Ceratopipra erythrocephala). These 3.5" birds are resident of northern South America. The males are black with a yellow head. the males perform elaborate dance displays on the lek to attract a female.

Golden-headed Manakin - male

Number 62 is the Little Forktail (Enicurus scouleri). This 5" black and white cutie is a resident along fast flowing streams in high mountains at an altitude of 5,500 to 11,000 feet in southest Asia. It is one of 8 species of forktails in the old world flycatcher family.

Little Forktail

Number 56 is the Pearled Treerunner (Margarornis squamiger). This brown bird with spotted breast is a common bird in the montane forests of the Andes from Venezuela to Bolivia. I have seen it several times. It is a member of the ovenbird family.

Pearled Treerunner

Number 53 is the magnificent Blue-and-yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna). It is resident in Amazonia and south-central South America. 

Blue-and-yellow Macaw

Number 51 is the Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops). This 11" bird has a huge crest and long thin bill. It is a common bird across Eurasia and one of 3 species of hoopoe. The photos in the book show it with its crest elevated but I have not seen that yet.

Eurasian Hoopoe

Number 36 is the strange looking Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoatzin). This prehistoric looking bird resides along slow moving streams in Amazonia. It is the sole member of the Hoatzin family.

Hoatzin

Number 29 is the Andean Cock-of-the-Rock (Rupicola peruvianus). This is one of the 3 cotingas in the book and the most beautiful with his bushy crest and red and black with silver plumage.

Andean Cock-of-the-Rock - male

Number 27 is the huge Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus). It is the worlds largest bird of prey with a length to 50 inches, weight to 33 pounds and wingspan of 10.5 feet.

Andean Condor

Number 19 is the Oilbird (Steatornis caripensis). It is a noctunal bird related to nightjars, but it is a fruit eater. It is unique in its own family. They roost in caves during the day. This one was photographed in Colombia. It is a resident from Panama across northern south America and on Trinidad.

Oilbird

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald
dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2019 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.

Bulletin 341 - South Africa #18 - Part 1 - Bulbuls and other songbirds, antelope, lion

I had an amazing 2 week trip to South Africa and scored almost 280 new species of birds as well as fantastic mammals and a few reptiles. My guide Casper Badenhorst was outstanding. You can see his web site here. He can be contacted through the web site or if you want his email it is info@birdingandwildlifesafaris.com. I recommend him highly as he showed me so many rare birds and animals. I will use him again when I go to Southern Africa. 

Bulbuls are a large family of medium sized songbirds in Africa and Asia. I first encountered them in China last March where I photographed 7 species. I found another 4 new ones on this trip. The 8" Dark-capped Bulbul (Pycnonotus tricolor) is a brown bird with light underside and dark brown face, The vent is yellow. Sexes are similar. I thought this was a cute photo with the pair sitting side-by-side.

Dark-capped Bulbul

 The 8" Terrestrial Brownbul  (Phyllastrephus terrestris) ha a reddish brown back, a white throat and red eye.

Terrestrial Brownbul

The 9" Yellow-bellied Greenbul (Chlorocichla flaviventris) had an olive back, yellowish underside and white eye arcs.

Yellow-bellied Greenbul

The 7.5"  Sombre Greenbul (Andropadus importunus) is olive above, pale below and he has a white eye.

Sombre Greenbul

Babblers are songbirds in several different families. The 9" Arrow-marked Babbler (Turdoides jardineii) is in the laughingthrush family. They forage on the ground in leaf litter. it is a gray-brown bird with spotted breast and yellow eye.

Arrow-marked Babbler

The 4" Cape White-eye (Zosterops capensis) is of course in the white-eye family. It is olive above with a yellow throat and bright white eye ring.

Cape White-eye

The estrildid finch family is a large (141 species) family of small colorful songbirds, many of which are used in the pet trade. All the rest of the birds in this bulletin are in this family.

The 5" male Green-winged Pytilia (Pytilia melba) is olive above and on the breast, with a gray and red head, and black streaked underside.

Green-winged Pytilia - male

Twinspots all have black undersides with white pots. The 4" male Green Twinspot (Mandingoa nitidula) has an olive back and red face.

Green Twinspot - male

The 4.5" male Pink-throated Twinspot (Hypargos margaritatus) has a brown back and pink face and breast. He also has a bright blue eye ring.

Pink-throated Twinspot - male

Firefinches are all reddish. The 4" male African Firefinch (Lagonostcita rubricata) has a brown back, red underparts and pink face with a bluish bill.

African Firefinch - male

Continued on part 2