The Culicicapa helianthea is one of my favorite montane birds, for several reasons - its amazing colors, its very pleasant-sounding call, and its generally unshy nature. It usually hunts in the understory, perched on a conspicuous branch, from where it hawks insects. Often, it stays in a general spot for quite some time and if one approaches it slowly, it's possible to get quite close and capture frame-filling photos.
This bird (114 mm total length, both sexes look alike) ranges in Sulawesi and the Philippines, and it is found in montane forests.
Shooting detail - Canon 40D + 500 f4 L IS + Canon 1.4x TC, 700 mm, f/7.1, ISO 400, 1/80 sec, manual exposure, Manfrotto 475B tripod + 3421 gimbal head, RAW capture, available light (February 13, 2008, Elev. 1615 m ASL, Mankayan, Benguet province).
Citrine Canary-Flycatcher
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