Bird Studies

May 19, 2026 - Ferruginous Babbler (Pellorneum bicolor) Found in parts of Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia, these babblers live in forests, including swamps and mangroves, as well as scrub and cultivated areas. Foraging in pairs or small groups, they eat ants and other insects, usually picking their prey from leaves. They build open cup-shaped nests from dry bamboo or other leaves, palm leaves, dead leaf stalks, and fine twigs in banks, climbing palms, or other plants. Females lay clutches of two eggs.

May 18, 2026 - Brown-cheeked Bulbul (Alophoixus bres) Found on the islands of Java and Bali in Indonesia, these bulbuls live in forests. They eat insects and some fruit, usually foraging alone or in pairs and often joining mixed-species flocks. Breeding in most months, they build cup-shaped nests in low vegetation where females usually lay two eggs. They are classified as Endangered by the IUCN as their population is declining rapidly due to trapping for the bird trade.

May 17, 2026 - Pale-legged Warbler (Myiothlypis signata) These warblers are found in forests in the Andes from central Peru through Bolivia to northwest Argentina. They primarily eat invertebrates, foraging on or near the ground in pairs or family groups and joining mixed-species flocks. While little is known about their breeding behavior, juveniles have been observed in December and February and a male in breeding condition was likely seen in June.

May 16, 2026 - Chestnut-breasted Whiteface (Aphelocephala pectoralis) Found in parts of South Australia, these Australian warblers live in open shrubland and stony areas. Foraging on the ground in pairs or small groups, sometimes with other species, they eat arthropods and seeds. They have been recorded breeding in August and September, building globe-shaped nests in shrubs from twigs and sometimes grass and lining them with wool, fur, and soft plant materials or feathers. Females lay clutches of two to four eggs and both parents feed the chicks. Classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN, their small population is thought to be declining due mostly to overgrazing in their small range.

May 15, 2026 - Yap Monarch (Monarcha godeffroyi) Found on the islands of Yap in Micronesia, these monarchs live in lowland forests, including mangroves, and shrublands. Their diet is not known but other monarchs primarily feed on insects. While their breeding behavior is unknown, most monarchs build open cup-shaped nests and in most species both parents construct the nests and care for the chicks. They are classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN as their tiny range leaves them vulnerable to the accidental introduction of invasive species such as the brown tree snake.

May 14, 2026 - Long-tailed Triller (Lalage leucopyga) Found in and around lowland and mountain forests in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia, these birds in the cuckooshrike family are now extinct in their former range on Norfolk Island, probably due to predation from introduced rats and habitat loss. While the details of their diet are unknown, the extinct subspecies ate insects, foraging in trees and grass, dropping onto them from a perch and capturing them in flight. On Norfolk Island they built shallow cup-shaped nests from moss, lichen, roots, and other materials in trees, usually laying clutches of two or three eggs. There is no current information on their breeding behavior.

May 13, 2026 - Chinchipe Spinetail (Synallaxis chinchipensis) Found in northwestern Peru, these birds in the ovenbird family live in scrub and woodlands. Usually foraging in pairs and often joining mixed-species flocks, they eat arthropods and their larvae, picking prey from moss, dry leaves, and branches. Nothing has been recorded about their breeding behavior but closely related species build ball-shaped stick nests with side entrances.

May 12, 2026 - Blue-winged Parrot, Blue-banded Parakeet, or Blue-banded Grass-parakeet (Neophema chrysostoma) These parrots are found in southeastern Australia in a variety of open habitats, including wetlands, grasslands, shrublands, open woodlands, deserts, and cultivated areas. They primarily eat seeds, as well as fruits, flowers, and some invertebrates, foraging mostly on the ground, usually in flocks. Sometimes breeding colonially, they nest in cavities in trees, stumps, or fallen logs, laying clutches of four to six eggs. Females incubate the eggs while males feed them and both parents feed the chicks. They are classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN due to declines to their population in the last decade or so, probably caused by habitat destruction.

May 11, 2026 - Micronesian Rufous Fantail or Chichirika (Rhipidura versicolor) Found in a variety of habitats in the Mariana Islands and on the island of Yap, these fantails are extinct on Guam. They eat insects, capturing them in short flights and picking them from surfaces. Possibly breeding year-round, they build round cup nests from fine plant fibers, grasses, spiderwebs, and other materials in trees and shrubs. Both parents incubate the eggs and care for the chicks.

May 10, 2026 - Halmahera Flowerpecker (Dicaeum schistaceiceps) Found in the North Maluku islands of Indonesia, these flowerpeckers live in forests, shrublands, and wetlands. While the details of their diet are unknown, it is thought to include fruit and possibly nectar and pollen from mistletoes. They forage in the canopy of the forest in pairs or small groups and join mixed-species flocks. While their breeding behavior has not been studied, closely related species build oval-shaped pouch nests from plant fibers and dry grass.

May 9, 2026 - Crimson-bellied Woodpecker (Campephilus haematogaster) Found from parts of Panama through Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru to northern Bolivia, these woodpeckers live in forests. Foraging alone or in pairs, often on the trunks of large trees near the ground, they eat insects, especially large beetles and their larvae. While very little is known about their nesting habits, they have been recorded breeding from March to May in Panama and September to April in Colombia and Ecuador.

May 8, 2026 - Tumbes Sparrow (Rhynchospiza stolzmanni) Found in parts of southwestern Ecuador and northwestern Peru, these sparrows live in dry scrub, open woodlands, and semi-desert areas. They eat insects, seeds, and possibly fruit, usually foraging on or near the ground alone or in pairs. Only two of their nests have been described, both were cup-shaped structures in cacti built mostly from grasses and sticks and lined with fine rootlets and hairs. One of the nests had four chicks.

May 7, 2026 - Chattering Kingfisher (Todiramphus tutus) These kingfishers are found in forests, shrublands, and cultivated areas, often near streams, on the Cook Islands and Society Islands. Capturing prey in flight, in trees, on the ground, or in shallow water, they feed on insects, larvae, spiders, shrimp, small fish, and lizards. Though little is known about their breeding behavior, they lay their eggs from December to January in the Society Islands and a pair was recorded excavating a nest in the rotten trunk of a hibiscus. Females lay clutches of two eggs. They are classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN due to population declines primarily caused by habitat loss and fragmentation.

May 6, 2026 - Rufous-necked Puffbird (Malacoptila rufa) Found in parts of Peru, Brazil, and Bolivia, these puffbirds live in forests, savannas, and wetlands. They probably eat mostly invertebrates and possibly some small vertebrates, hunting in short flights from a perch and sometimes following army ant swarms or joining mixed-species flocks. Though little is known about their breeding behavior, one of their nests was described as a tunnel in the ground and closely related species nest in burrows.

May 5, 2026 - Andean Slaty Thrush (Turdus nigriceps) These thrushes are found in forests, often near water, along the Andes mountains from southern Ecuador through Peru and Bolivia into northern Argentina. Foraging in trees and on the ground, they feed on fruit and some invertebrates. Breeding at least between October and February depending on the area of their range, they build open cup-shaped nests in trees where females lay clutches of two to four eggs. Males have been observed feeding chicks.

May 4, 2026 - Red-faced Crombec (Sylvietta whytii) Found in parts of eastern and southern Africa, these warblers live in shrublands and forests. Usually foraging in pairs in trees and tall bushes and often joining mixed-species flocks, they eat insects, spiders, and small worms. They build oval pouch nests with entrances near the top from silk webs, bark strips, pieces of wood, and vegetation, usually suspended from branches. Females lay clutches of one to three eggs and do most of the incubation, though both parents feed the chicks.

May 3, 2026 - Blunt-winged Warbler (Acrocephalus concinens) Breeding in parts of Afghanistan, China, India, and Pakistan, these warblers winter in Bangladesh, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam and are also found in Bhutan, Myanmar, and Nepal. They eat insects, though the details of their diet are not known. Breeding from late April to August, they build deep cup-shaped nests from grass, reed fibers, rush leaves, moss, wool, plant down, and feathers woven around upright plant stems or in low bushes. Females lay clutches of three or four eggs.