Tag: laguna

Red-bellied Pitta: Jewel of the Philippine Forest Floor [HD]

Pittas belong to this majestic, very colorful group of birds that live on the moist tropical rainforest floors of Asia, Australia and Africa. They are brightly adorned with different shades of red, green and blue feathers but despite their stunning plumage, they can be incredibly hard to see - hopping away into the dark forest floor with the slightest movement, or staying still looking like a dried leaf or branch. There are 5 species of pittas found in the Philippines, 2 of them are endemic: the Steere's (Azure-breasted) Pitta and the largest of all Philippine pittas, the Whiskered Pitta. One out of the 5 is a rare migrant (Blue-winged Pitta) while the remaining two are resident pittas that can be found also in other countries: the Hooded Pitta and this Red-bellied Pitta, Pitta erythrogaster This calling Red-bellied Pitta was videoscoped in a mountain resort a few hours south of Manila. You can also hear other birds in the background: the loud and pulsing call (like a sewing machine badly needing an oil change) of the Grey-backed Tailorbird, the coooing White-eared Brown-dove and the melodious call of a White-browed Shama. Click on the links to see the other birds or visit our galleries here. Red-bellied Pitta, Pitta erythrogaster May 2011, Mts. Palay palay - Mataas na Gulod National Park, Cavite, Luzon, Philippines

A calling Amethyst Brown-Dove [HD]

The Philippines is a treasure-trove for an amazing number of endemic doves and pigeons. There are 33 recorded birds belonging to this family and 19 of them are endemic. The most famous of the doves/pigeons are the Bleeding-hearts, very shy, ground-dwelling birds that have a red patch on their white breast, looking like a bleeding bird stabbed with a dagger to the chest. Then there are the fruit-doves like the stunning Flame-breasted Fruit-dove from high elevation Luzon, and this Yellow-breasted Fruit-dove from Mindanao, Southern Philippines. The more common forest doves are the Brown-doves such as this White-eared Brown-dove and the one featured in this video: the Amethyst Brown-Dove. The Amethyst Brown-Dove is described as a locally-common dove found in the lowlands and up to montane forests. It is very similar to the White-eared Brown-Dove with both having a white "ear" below the eye but the Amethyst Brown-Dove is distinguished from its brown-dove relatives by being the largest, with a larger, more prominent bill, less conspicuous “white ear”, and a violet upper back. It has a nice soft call hooot, hooot hoot  and can be found singly or in pairs often in fruiting trees from Luzon, Mindanao, and other bigger islands. Hear the call at around 0:30 into the video. Amethyst Brown-Dove, Phapitreron amethystina from two clips: June and August 2011, Mt. Makiling and Mt. Bulusan, Luzon, Philippines

Philippine Hawk-Owl calling [HD]

From the highlands of Mindanao, we go to the lowlands of Luzon: a video clip of a Philippine Hawk-Owl Ninox philippensis calling. Owls and other nocturnal birds are probably the least studied wildlife in the Philippines. And the Philippines has a LOT of nocturnal birds, like this Luzon Scops Owl from Mt. Polis and this Philippine Scops Owl from Northern Sierra Madre and this bizarre looking Palawan Frogmouth as well as this Philippine Frogmouth from Mindanao. Aside from the difficulty of observing them in the night, a lot of Filipinos are afraid of owls: many locals have this superstitious belief that owls are harbingers of bad luck and death. Sadly, as a result of these superstitions, many owls are caught or killed. Probably the reason why a lot of locals are afraid of owls is because of their weird, growling calls. While birders will get out of their beds upon hearing these sounds in the middle of the night, for non-birders, hearing a sound like this in the darkness of the forest is enough to send shivers down the spine. 🙂 Philippine Hawk-Owl Ninox philippensis