Class AVES Order PASSERIFORMES Suborder OSCINES Family ORIOLIDAE (ORIOLES AND FIGBIRDS) free text Handbook of the Birds fo the World Medium-sized passerines with relatively large, long and pointed wings, short to medium-length tail; many species very colourful in yellow to golden and black, some more green. 17·5–32 cm. Old World. Woodland, forest and parklands. 2 […]
Woodcreepers (dendrocolaptidae)
Class AVES Order PASSERIFORMES Suborder TYRANNI Family DENDROCOLAPTIDAE (WOODCREEPERS) free text from the Handbook of the Birds of the World Small to medium-sized birds with broad rounded wings, long tail with rigid shafts, outer and middle toes united and much longer than inner toe, front claws strongly curved; most with brown plumage, a few grey […]
Honeyguides (Indicatoridae)
Class AVES Order PICIFORMES Family INDICATORIDAE (HONEYGUIDES) Free text form the Handbook of the Birds of the World Medium-small, rather nondescript arboreal birds with small head, short bill, nostrils often raised, and generally rather drab plumage with white outer-tail markings. 10-20 cm. Sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia. Forest and woodland, including streamside trees in near-desert; […]
Fenwick’s Antpitta discovered in 2010
Fenwick’s Antpitta Antpitta Grallaria fenwickorum CRITICALLY ENDANGERED A new species of Antpitta Grallaria (family Grallariidae) is described from the Colibrà del Sol Bird Reserve situated on the southeastern slope of the Páramo del Sol massif on the northern end of the Western Andes of Colombia. Fenwick’s Antpitta Grallaria fenwickorum sp nov. most closely resembles Brown-banded […]
Laniarius willardi discovered in 2010
Laniarius willardi The bird Laniarius willardi, is a newly described species of boubou shrike (Malaconotidae) whose single distinctive trait is its blue-gray eyes. Abstract of the paper describing the new species in the July issue of the international ornithological journal The Auk follows here. We describe Laniarius willardi, a new species of boubou shrike (Malaconotidae) […]
Ruaha Chat discovered in 2010
Ruaha Chat Myrmecocichla collaris Geographically structured plumage variation among populations of White-headed Black Chat (Myrmecocichla arnotti) in Tanzania confirms the race collaris to be a valid taxon. Roughly 40% of Tanzania is comprised of Miombo (Brachystegia) woodland interspersed with seasonal wetlands induced by restricted river flow. Some of these seasonal wetlands attain lakelike proportions during […]
Spectacled Flowerpecker discovered in 2009
Spectacled Flowerpecker NOT YET EVALUATED The Spectacled Flowerpecker is a new species of bird discovered in the forests of north-eastern Borneo in June 2009 and apparently belonging to the flowerpecker family Dicaeidae. It has not yet been formally described or given a scientific name because of limited information and lack of a specimen. The new […]
Limestone Leaf Warbler discovered in 2009
Limestone Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus calciatilis NOT YET EVALUATED Beginning in 1994, ornithologists began to notice birds thought to be the Sulpher-breasted Warbler (P. ricketti) in breeding condition, singing, in what was their wintering range in Laos. Upon more detailed study, they realized these warblers represented a unique taxon. The plumage was nearly identical to P. […]
Bare faced Bulbul discovered in 2009
Bare-faced Bulbul Pycnonotus hualon NOT YET EVALUATED Based on distinctive morphological (plumage and skin) and vocal characters we describe a new species of bulbul from the limestone karst of central Lao PDR and place it in the genus Pycnonotus. The species is so far known from one locality in Savannakhet province and two probable earlier […]
RÃo Orinoco Spinetail discovered in 2009
RÃo Orinoco Spinetail Synallaxis beverlyae NOT YET EVALUATED We describe a new species of spinetail, Synallaxis beverlyae (RÃo Orinoco Spinetail), from river island scrub in the lower and middle sections of the main river channel of the RÃo Orinoco in Venezuela and adjacent Colombia. This taxon has been overlooked previously because river islands were not […]