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Post by steve pryor on Dec 15, 2011 15:17:09 GMT
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Post by steve pryor on Dec 15, 2011 7:21:06 GMT
Bob is right, Sitta europaea. The bird is an adult male. To rule out a race caesia I would need the bird ITH to examine the coloration of the undertail. In Switzerland, the ranging race should be S. e. cisalpina.
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Post by steve pryor on Dec 15, 2011 7:13:34 GMT
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Post by steve pryor on Dec 11, 2011 17:47:51 GMT
Paul, Nice find. In case anyone is interested, this is an adult male bird, race griseatus.
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Post by steve pryor on Dec 9, 2011 11:12:19 GMT
Paul, That is the call I get from my first impression. With this physionomy, it is either Butastur, or Accipiter.
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Post by steve pryor on Dec 7, 2011 8:41:23 GMT
Hi Neil, Yes, it is a bird belonging to a still rather ill-defined assemblage of Old World Flycatchers known as "Monarch Flycatchers". More specifically, this is an adult female Hypothymis a. azurea (Black-naped Monarch).
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Post by steve pryor on Dec 5, 2011 12:18:45 GMT
I just received word from Ruth Francisco, a member of the WBCP. I quote her message:"It's M.a. leucopsis. I consulted Des about this and he concurred with the ID. Arne said that this ss has never officially been recorded in the Philippines". Steve has been right all along even if he said that he was not sure. The correct bird name should now be White Wagtail (Motacilla alba leucopsis). Thank you Steve & Sylvia for the complete name. It is gratifying to know that I had seen right. Don't get me wrong, I probably have instant species recognition of about 3,000 - 4,000 bird species, but I also know what I have not studied in depth, and one of those things is the difficult morphology not only of the White Wagtail, but of all Wagtails in general. I also will do most shorebirds only if somebody sticks a gun to my head, they simply do not inflame me with enthusiasm and I have therefore never studied them at any length. I have to do those species by spreading out all my sources, and comparing photos. I eventually get them, but with more difficulty.
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Post by steve pryor on Dec 4, 2011 18:02:51 GMT
Hi Ely, I was not expressing non-confidence in you, I was expressing non-confidence in my ability to dice out some of the races of alba. Rest assured that there is a heck of a lot of things that I do not know about birds, and that I am constantly learning. In fact, nobody dealing with birds, even if having done it for a long time, ever, ever knows enough to feel confident in all cases. I have screwed up numerous identifications, and bird identification must contain an element of humilty.
Right now, I am looking through some sources to find if there are any instances of either ocularis, or lugens, that have no discernable eye-stripe - so far, I can't find one, and this should make this alba, whichever race it is, to be not ocularis, and not lugens. I am hoping that Des is more familiar with leucopsis than I am.
The correct ID in this particular case, if not ocularis, and if not lugens, would be important since as far as I know these latter are the only two races associated to alba that have been recorded in Phils.
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Post by steve pryor on Dec 4, 2011 14:18:49 GMT
Well, I am hoping that Des is better on age and sex-related plumages of the various races of alba, than I am. To me, this does not look like an alba ocularis (and neither does it looks like an alba lugens). First-winter alba leucopsis maybe...
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Post by steve pryor on Dec 3, 2011 22:56:04 GMT
According to Wikipedia (assuming that is a reliable source), Surniculus lugubris has been split up into the Asian Drongo Cuckoo and the Philippine Drongo Cuckoo ( Surniculus velutinus). The authoritativeness of the wiki depends on the thoroughness of the individual contributors and on their knowledge of all sources germane to a particular question. Personally, I follow the taxonomy of Payne (2005) for this species, and the IOC also follows this interpretation. According to this viewpoint we have: Surniculus velutinus (Philippine Drongo-Cuckoo) - Phils endemic S. v. velutinus - Bohol, Leyte, Samar, Mindanao, Basilan S. v. chalybaeus - Luzon, Mindoro, Negros S. v. suluensis - Sulu Is. and we have: (an additional split from Asian Drongo-Cuckoo) Surniculus lugubris (Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo) S. l. brachyurus - Balabac, Palawan, Calauit (in the Calamian group)
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Post by steve pryor on Dec 3, 2011 17:01:44 GMT
Des, By the way, I now question Jon's assessment of the sex of this bird: orientalbirdimages.org/search.php?p=7&Bird_ID=2558&Bird_Family_ID=&pagesize=1I wish I had a good photo of the posterior wing margin of an obvious fully adult male so as to judge the relative length of the flight feathers, but I don't. The color of the bird is of a generally flatter black, and there is a persistance of a bit of brown in the outermost primaries. In my view, Jon's photo is of a young adult male bird, not a female. I will try and remember to send him a note. Oh yes, before I forget. If I am seeing right about Jon's bird, then it might be tied into the coloration of the anterior supercilia of Bram's bird. In both cases, it seems to me to have just a dab of rufousness. This might be another age-indicating plumage feature.
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Post by steve pryor on Dec 3, 2011 12:05:25 GMT
avocet.zoology.msu.edu/another site for phils bird recordings. I have no idea if, and how much overlap there is with the xenocanto.
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Post by steve pryor on Dec 3, 2011 8:32:36 GMT
Des, Here is what the HBW has to offer (obviously treating superciliaris associated to luzoniensis) " Taxonomy. Turdus luzoniensis Kittlitz, 1832 Luzon, Philippines Race superciliaris morphologically distinctive; if found to be equally distinctive vocally, may perhaps be better treated as a separate species. Race parvimaculatus only rather weakly differentiated from nominate; shemleyi poorly known, and validity has been questioned. Four subspecies currently recognized. Subspecies and DistributionC. l. luzoniensis (Kittlitz, 1832) - Luzon and Catanduanes, in N Philippines C. l. parvimaculatus (McGregor, 1910) - Polillo I. C. l. shemleyi duPont, 1976 - Marinduque C. l. superciliaris (Bourns & Worcester, 1894) - Masbate, Negros, Panay and Ticao Descriptive notes.17-18 cm. Male nominate race is bluish-black from head to back and wings and breast, with a white supercilium from over lores to nape, white wing patch, white belly shading rufous on flanks and thighs and up onto rump; tail black, white tips on outer four graduated feathers; bill black, legs pinkish-flesh. Female has olive-brown crown, grey-brown back, pale grey throat. Juvenile apparently undescribed. Race parvimaculatus similar to nominate, but has darker rump, and smaller white tail tips; shemleyi also has darker rump, but slightly larger white tail tips than nominate, female has white throat bordered by grey, reduced white in wing; superciliaris lacks rufous rump and white wing patch, female has white throat bordered by a black band." Op.cit.: HBW, Lynx Edicions, Volume 10, p. 766 The only information as to juveniles is from the Kennedy, and referring only to the nominate race. "as ♀ but throat whiter. Bill black or dark horn; eye dark brown; legs pinkish flesh." As far as the plate in the HBW - for the female it shows only the adult nominate. Where the male is black, the female is brown, the brown is brighter on the mantle and crown, the throat is whitish but with fine greyish streakiness that deepens into simply brown on the breast, the frons and lores look to be darker. The outer four or five primaries seem to have a lighter (brighter?) tone of brown than the rest of the flight feathers. Well, trying to gather the few tendrils of information that we can glean, I suppose we can only conjecture. The juveniles of all of these races apparently start out with a whiter throat than the adult (exception made for adult female shemleyi, and superciliaris, that remain white). I can't make any guesses about the ill-differentiated parvimaculatus (though I might expect the female to be similar to the nominate given the close approximation of Polillo to Luzon). As for the superciliaris, the juveniles and the adult females have whitish throats apparently, and I would expect the subadult males to transition directly to black on the throat without intervening gradations of other colors. The mantle of the female superciliaris is definitely dark (not brown as in the nominate, and possibly? parvimaculatus). It appears black. However, guessing again, I would expect parts of the adult female to be duller than the adult male, and I think we are seeing some of those features here, cf. the crown color, the outer primary color, that probably remain dark brown, duller, and not black as in the male. I agree that the bird in the photo is certainly not a juvenile, well, since this term is so undefined, not an early juvenile - the juvenile flange has been completely reabsorbed and the bill is deep black. Nonetheless, certain immature features seem to persist - notably the non-cleanness of the black pectoral (still splotchy) and the slight indications of a persisting - almost certainly juvenile rufousness of the breast below the pectoral band. Des, I think you nailed it by saying that this is subadult! We can't call it a full adult, but we are almost there... audiofiles (superciliaris): avocet.zoology.msu.edu/recordings/10663www.xeno-canto.org/asia/browse.php?query=White-browed+Shama+%28Copsychus+luzoniensis%29+11&species_nr= Only Tracks 1, 4, 9 and 10.
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Post by steve pryor on Dec 2, 2011 13:16:09 GMT
Steve, I am guessing based on what KG says about female luzoniensis: pale grey throat, crown olive-brown, backed washed with olive-brown, which seems to fit. But it could be an immature. It doesn't really look immature though. Any more info in HBW? Des, I will check it tonight after work. Some things, like the Kennedy, I have double copies of, but the HBW is just such a tome, not real portable.
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Post by steve pryor on Dec 2, 2011 10:26:06 GMT
As in Copsychus superciliaris. I think I would go for female, possibly subadult. Thanks Des, I appreciate the correction. The Collar article describes only adult males; the Kennedy describes all the formerly associated adult females, but not the adult female supercilaris. I was keying off of the idea that, by extension, I might be able to presume that the adult female of supercilaris has a non-white throat, but apparently not. Further, there is no mention that I could find of the color of the mantle, and/or the primaries of the adult female supercilaris. Again, I was induced to presume non-blackness. Will make a mental note now - whitish throat bordered inferiorly by a black pectoral + blackish mantle for the female. I do wonder, however, if the apparent dark brown of the crown and the outer vane of the primaries persist in the full adult female?
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Post by steve pryor on Dec 2, 2011 8:25:09 GMT
Putting it here for the identification questions regarding non-adult Copsychus (luzoniensis) superciliaris (Visayan Shama). Descriptions seem to be very scanty (for non-adult birds) for this race, now species. The linked bird is in my estimation an immature male bird. Comments, and corrections are welcome. www.flickr.com/photos/30369673@N06/5758246422/
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Post by steve pryor on Nov 30, 2011 16:16:41 GMT
Hi Mick, These are more spring and summer birds here near Rome. They nest in my big Cypress trees.
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Post by steve pryor on Nov 30, 2011 7:31:52 GMT
Ramon, I guess I must be more explicit. Does Ariel's male Euphonia have a yellow throat? No, it does not. It is not a Yellow-throated Euphonia (it is a Scrub Euphonia). Your male bird has a yellow throat, and it is a Thick-billed Euphonia (race zopholega). Here is what a male Yellow-throated Euphonia looks like: ibc.lynxeds.com/photo/yellow-throated-euphonia-euphonia-hirundinacea/perched-adult-male-good-lightMost Euphonia species have many points of encounter as far as being generally similar (some exceptions however). The males are generally purple and yellow (maybe orange), a lot of the males have yellow or orange patches on the head (and this patch varies in extention towards the hindcrown), and usually they have central rectrices that are whitish and that can be seen on the undertail. Further, the male birds either have yellow throats, or they have purple throats that in some species extends down to the breast. The conformation of the bill is also important. For example, in your photos the bill is obviously more convex on the culmen (the upper margin of the upper mandible), and it looks thicker (pug-nosed) respect to the bill of the bird of Ariel. When you do a differential ID analysis for the separation of Euphonia, and you have photos of male birds, then you look at several things: yellow throat/purple throat, if purple with bib or not; presence (some races lack the white entirely) and extention of the white on the undertail; bill conformation with an eye to the thickness of the bill at the bill insertion (meaning where it attaches to the head) and the amount of convexity of the two mandibles (the lower mandible also is curved) respect to other Euphonia; the crown patch: if present (some don't); when present which color - usually either yellow or orange; how far back the crown patch extends towards the nape; color of the belly - usually yellow, but some species (or races within one species) can have an orange wash. Further, we must also look at the possibility of there being zones of white ventrally (different from the usual yellow, or orange). Some male Euphonia have white belly centers, and some have a white crissum (= the zone including the undertail coverts plus the vent). Another factor is always the range! The location! Though we must always keep in mind the possibility that we might find a given species outside of its known range nonetheless it is a helpful thing the possibility of whittling down the possibles to a short list when we do differential species separations. In the case of Ariel's bird, not only would the laniirostris have a yellow crown patch that extends onto the hind-crown, but is also simply does not range in the location in which Ariel's bird was photographed.
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Post by steve pryor on Nov 28, 2011 7:40:00 GMT
Hi Ariel,
Just a comment, and then an ID correction.
Oropendola - from Gr. oros (living in the mountains), and L. pendulus (hanging down - a reference to the conformation of the nest).
The Euphonia are not E. hirundinacea gnatho (Yellow-throated Euphonia) for the rather evident reason that the male does not have a yellow throat.
They are male and female of Euphonia affinis affinis (Scrub Euphonia). The confusion species in this location is Euphonia minuta (White-vented Euphonia), and I made the separation in this case because the male does not demonstrate a white belly center (male minuta have a white belly center, and because even though the female is a back-shot, we can see yellow peeking out from under the tail base which indicates that the crissum is yellowish, not white as would be with the E. minuta.
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Post by steve pryor on Nov 28, 2011 7:15:32 GMT
Great captures as always, Ely! I especially like the close-up of the female OSB peeking out of its nest. Like Steve, I identified the "Oriental Cuckoo" as a Bar-bellied Cuckoo-shrike but not in the same detail and specificity as Steve. It is so sad to hear that a boy killed the Ruddy Kingfisher. I never got to see it during my trip to Coron a few months ago. I wish we could just pay these kids to not hurt the birds, usually just for sport. I can just imagine how many bird books Steve & Des has accumulated over the years for them to identify these birds so exact. Actually, I don't have that many books just for the Philippines. I have the Kennedy, and I have that little Fisher photo book. What stands Des and I in good stead is experience. In this case, that it was not a Cuckoo, to one that knows what to look for, is rather apparent. The bill conformation, the general jizz of the bird. At that point that it is Coracina is determinable. Then all you have to do is look at the Kennedy to find what Coracina are on Palawan. The description of the female being barred ventrally and the male being simply greyish with no barring is all there in the Kennedy (that is, for C. striata difficilis). The pale iris is an immediate tip-off just about all of the time that if you have a Coracina, that it is species striata.
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