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White-winged Crossbill - Bird of the Day 241
Found at high latitudes
"Stocky, large-headed finch with a unique crossed bill. Males are pinkish-red with black wings and two bold white wingbars. Females yellowish overall. Nomadic; breeds at any time of year, whenever there is enough food available. Prefers spruce cones. Red Crossbill also has a crossed bill, but is duller overall without white wingbars. Often in small flocks. Rarely visits feeders. Listen for distinctive “machine-gun rattle” calls and high-pitched tooting, like a toy truck."
Video by Sam Zhang
https://ebird.org/species/whwcro?continue by @botd_birdoftheday

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11

12 days ago

Invisible Rail - Bird of the Day 240
Endemic to the island of Halmahera in Indonesia
"A huge, distinctive all-dark flightless forest rail with a powerful red bill and red legs. Restricted to the island of Halmahera in the North Moluccas, where it occurs in swampy areas within forest, especially sago swamps. Very shy, roaming the forest floor singly or in pairs. Calls include deep drumming noises, and a racket of loud “WAK-WAK-WAK” notes repeated in an agitated-sounding series. Also gives quieter clucking notes."
Photo by Robert Hutchinson
https://ebird.org/species/invrai1?continue by @botd_birdoftheday

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13 days ago

Australian Rufous Fantail - Bird of the Day 239
Found in New Guinea and Australia
"Small, active songbird with long, pale-tipped tail and warm brownish-orange on the forehead, rump, and tail base. Grayish brown above and pale below overall, with a white throat and black-speckled breast. Frequently cocks and fans tail. Inhabits wooded habitats, often favoring areas with wet ground, such as mangroves and rainforest. Listen for high-pitched, tinkling song. Formerly grouped with other closely related species under “Rufous Fantail.”"
Photo by me
https://ebird.org/species/ruffan13?continue by @botd_birdoftheday

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14 days ago

Red-necked Spurfowl - Bird of the Day 238
Found from Republic of Congo to South Africa
"Large, chunky francolin with bare red skin on the throat and around the eye. There is much geographical variation in the presence or extent of white on the face, black-and-white streaking below, and black on the belly. Found in a wide range of habitats, including moist savanna, grassland, thickets, cultivation, and forest edge. The call is a series of rough “krek” notes, sometimes with a rollicking introduction. Bare red throat separates it from most other francolins. In areas of overlap with Swainson’s or Gray-breasted Francolins, Red-necked can be identified by black-and-white striped underparts."
Photo by Riaan Marais
https://ebird.org/species/renfra1?continue by @botd_birdoftheday

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a month ago

Yellow-crowned Parakeet (Kākāriki) - Bird of the Day 237
Endemic to New Zealand
"A small, rare, bright green parakeet endemic to New Zealand. Recognized by its yellow crown and the thin red band that stretches to both red eyes between the crown and the base of the beak. Found in large native forests on the mainland, on the Auckland Islands, and on offshore island sanctuaries. Usually detected by its rapid chattering call within the tree canopy. Forms small flocks in autumn and winter. Similar to Malherbe’s Parakeet, but look for brighter green plumage, red frontal band, and crimson rump patches instead of orange. Smaller than the Red-crowned Parakeet, lacking red crown."
Photo by Paul Maury
https://ebird.org/species/yefpar3?continue by @botd_birdoftheday

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a month ago

Helmeted Hornbill - Bird of the Day 236
Found on the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, and Sumatra
"Bizarre-looking bird, now very rare due to poaching for the ivory-like material of its bill. When perched, its most recognizable feature is the naked throat pouch which resembles an undercooked steak, chalky white in the female and dull scarlet in the male. When in flight, its long trailing central tail feathers easily distinguish it from any other hornbill. Scarce and difficult to see; listen for its far-carrying maniacal laugh in mature lowland and foothill forests."
https://ebird.org/species/helhor1?continue by @botd_birdoftheday

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a month ago

Taiwan Cupwing - Bird of the Day 235
Endemic to the island of Taiwan
"Minuscule endemic songbird. Short wings, very short tail, and rather long legs give it the appearance of a brown ping-pong ball set on tiny chopsticks. Dark brown above, black-and-white scaly pattern below. Constantly shakes its wings as if cold. Moves about on the ground and in low vegetation in montane forests, where very difficult to see. Song a loud, strident, high-pitched series of three whistled phrases, with a pause after the first."
Photo by Hsueh Hung Chang
https://ebird.org/species/taiwrb1?continue by @botd_birdoftheday

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2 months ago

Mountain Chickadee - Bird of the Day 234
Found in western Canada and US
"White stripe above the eye separates it from other chickadees. Otherwise, much like other chickadees: grayish overall with a big head, tiny bill, and black cap and throat. Tends to be in high-elevation mountainous areas with dry, coniferous forests. Active and acrobatic. Often in flocks with nuthatches and kinglets. Visits feeders."
https://ebird.org/species/mouchi?continue by @botd_birdoftheday

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2 months ago

Tawny Frogmouth - Bird of the Day 233
Endemic to Australia
"Australia’s most familiar nocturnal bird. Note bright yellow eye and very large ‘frog-like’ bill with whiskers above only slightly banded. A master of camouflage, its shaggy plumage blends in with rough bark when roosting. Usually gray but some subspecies appear more rusty-colored. Present in a wide variety of habitats and common in suburban areas."
https://ebird.org/species/tawfro1?continue by @botd_birdoftheday

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2 months ago

Northern Lapwing - Bird of the Day 232
Found throughout Eurasia
"A handsome and striking large wader (shorebird) with long wispy crest. Fairly common in open habitats, from grassland and farmland to wetlands, and locally on coastal mudflats. Declining in some areas with land-use changes. Forms flocks from late summer through winter, locally in hundreds or even thousands. Boldly patterned plumage looks black and white overall, but back shows green gloss in good light. Flies with deep, rather floppy wingbeats and dives steeply in breeding display; wingtips notably broad and rounded, not pointed like most waders."
Photo by Abhishek Das
https://ebird.org/species/norlap?continue by @botd_birdoftheday

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2 months ago

Speckled Nightingale-Thrush - Bird of the Day 231
Found from Venezuela to Argentina
"Small, attractively patterned thrush of tropical and subtropical evergreen forest in foothills and subtropics. Usually elusive and heard far more often than seen. Feeds mainly on the ground, but also in fruiting bushes and trees. Sings from low to middle level perches. Plumage distinctive: black head, contrasting orange eyering, bill, and legs, and yellow underparts with dusky spotting. Song distinctive: slow, fluty, whistled phrases, given in a varied series. Occurs on both slopes of the Andes from western Venezuela to northern Argentina. Similar to Yellow-throated Nightingale-Thrush but no range overlap."
Photo by Andres Vasquez Noboa
https://ebird.org/species/sponit2?continue by @botd_birdoftheday

7k

15

2 months ago

Scarlet Ibis - Bird of the Day 230
Found from Colombia to Brazil
"Unmistakable, beautiful orange-red ibis with black wingtips. Breeding adults have black bills, pink at other times. Immatures are dark above with white bellies and pink bills. Restricted to mangroves and adjacent muddy estuaries."
Photo by Lars Petersson
https://ebird.org/species/scaibi?continue by @botd_birdoftheday

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2 months ago