brian... according to ''a guide to the birds of the philippines'' there are two varieties of crows in the fils, the Slender-billed and the Large-billed. the Large-billed is shown to be on all islands, including negros, the Slender billed is on all islands but the central visayas. but i occasionally hear (and see) crows fly over, i assume they're the large-billed. jfi... another interesting flyover was a flock of at least 100 parakeet type birds, but only once... i've lived in the same location for about the last 5 years and wildlife, in general, is disappointing, i've only counted about 10 species of birds in the area and the only wild animals i've seen are rats, shrews and bats. i also spent about 6 months on a siquijor beach and another 6 months on a beach near siaton and saw very few shorebirds. i've all but lost interest in the local wild birds here.
I Lived in South East Queensland in Australia and daily my trees were full of Birds, White Crested Cockatoos, Galahs, Rainbow Lorikeets (as well as the Greenies) and the Honey Eaters, also various Rosellas, occasional King Parrot, and when I lived on the Sunshine Coast the trees in the Bush beside me also had many Black Cockatoos with brilliant Red markings, I somehow expected the "Tropical Philippines" to have many species of Parrots here and have been disappointed in seeing a few nice Finches, an occasional Pheasant (much to the horror of my Wife who associates those with death hehe) and the local equivelent of the Aussie Willie Wag Tail, also I have seen Sparrows here which were once as common as Rats in Australia but seemed to have all but disappeared from the Towns and Cities there. Also in Oz Pelicans are EVERYWHERE around the Seaside, but I haven't seen a single one here except on TV when the Aussie Peleican lost his GPS and landed in the South of the Philippines hehe aLL IN ALL; Not quiet the Bird Lovers Paradise I expected...
I agree not many species, but seen a kingfisher loads of rice buntings a sunbird and a white headed sea eagle, oh and some sort of speckled thrush. Don't know the official names of the birds!
Sounds like Paradise, then. It's fun to toss food up to a huge hovering flock until they sh*t on you, lol. Best to watch from afar and watch the next guy learn a lesson.
Animals have distribution ranges. So the birds and insects you see in the Philippines will not be the same as species found in other countries and vice versa. Parrots for example, are common and very diverse in Australia, New Guinea and South America, but are less so in other regions. The Philippines has one endemic species of cockatoo - the Katala, which is sadly critically endangered. But it is restricted to mountainous areas. A few species are rare, endangered, or extinct because of human encroachment on habitats or overhunting - like Philippine eagles and hornbills. Others simply can't survive in cities, which are usually infested with sparrows which they can't compete with. Others simply don't live in or have never been common in the Philippines, like seagulls which don't really exist in most tropical islands. But rest assured, there are plenty of birds once you get to the countryside. You just have to know where to look. In my province, these birds are common near towns and villages: Sparrows - nuff said. Cave swiftlets - at least two species. They're the birds that are the source of bird's nest soup. Called balinsasayaw ("tumbling dancer") locally, they can be quite beautiful to watch swooping and gliding about. Chestnut munia - called maya locally. They look like red and black sparrows and are very common in ricefields. Olive backed sunbird - very tiny birds with brown, yellow, and blue coloration. They are common visitors of flowers. They drink nectar and are very similar to American hummingbirds (they can also hover mid-air and fly backwards). Kingfishers - various kinds. My favorite to watch because they are a brilliant blue. Common near streams and ricefields. Brahminy kite - Often seen soaring above farmlands and bodies of water. Zebra dove - A gray and brown pigeon that blends perfectly with the ground. They have a distinctive coo-ing sound. Philippine pied fantail - again one of my favorites. They are commonly seen flashing their black and white fan-shaped tails to each other near meadows and farmlands. We call them sayaw (literally "dancer"). Rails - usually called tikling. Common in ricefields and marshes. Pipit - smaller than rails, but similar in behavior. Also common in ricefields. Cattle egrets - commonly seen on cattle and water buffaloes. As for uncommon birds I've only seen a few times, they include ravens, crows, and several species of owls. Also note that chickens (more accurately - the red junglefowl) are native to and were first domesticated in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, which is why chickens here are usually far more colorful than your average European chicken.
I have seen a few seagulls flying past while on the boulevard a couple of times , and there are plenty of black bees where ever you see the red and yellow flowering trees. I even saw a sea eagle from the boulevard and again from the beach at bacong.
I watched an Olive Back Sunbird doing its acrobatic flying here and thought it was a Humming Bird as it swooped around the Yellow Bell Flowers here looking for insects flying backwards, forwards, up and down, it was very cool to watch. Here in Maluay, Zamboanguita, I have seen the Egrets, the Olive Back Sunbirds, the Pied Fantail, the Zebra Dove, Blue and Brown (Hen?) Kingfishers, Chestnut Maya, Swiftlets which normally appear around Dusk and compete with the smaller Insect Bats over the field next door, occasionally see the Sparrows, I saw Pigeons for the first time (in 4Years) last week at Robinson's. I have also seen what appears to be a Pheasant (Cuckoo? The wife goes silly when they appear as she relates them to death lol) in the Bamboo here. I once saw what appeared to be a Gouldian Finch which surprised me as it was with several other small Finch type birds, I could hear them and caught a glimpse but did not see if the others bore the same brilliant colours as the one I saw above my door here in the Yellow Bell Flowers. I also missed out on what sounded to be small Parrots/ Parakeets? There was a small flock in the Bamboo next door and when I heard them I rushed out but could not see them, but they were chattering and squarking just like the small Lorikeets back home in Australia, when they flew off they flew in the opposite direction from where I was standing so missed them totally. I also talk to @kelpguy who likes Birds and he sent me a mp3 of a Bird he has heard but not yet seen, I also hear it daily but for the life of me I have not yet seen it. I call it a "Filipina Bird" for now as it sounds like my wife when she berates our Daughter repeating what she says! lol @Obsidian maybe you can shed light on what it is? I tried to upload the file but it is forbidden on here (mp3) but the Bird repeats its call over and over then changes the call, the only way to describe it is kind of like; "Wipe your feet - Wipe your feet - What did I tell you - What did I tell you - Do as I say - Do as I say"......... It is repetitive but to date I have been unable to catch sight of what kind of Bird it is.
Maybe not so perfectly since I can see it quite clearly in the picture. Good info on the local birds.
They are quite common here and usually in pairs. We have a pair of olive backed sunbirds who usually nest here every yr along with a pair of striped eyed bulbuls who are building a nest now.
