A distinctive new species of flowerpecker (Passeriformes: Dicaeidae) from Borneo

The enigmatic ‘Spectacled Flowerpecker’—a probable new bird species from the island of Borneo—was first sighted in the Danum Valley of Sabah, Malaysia in 2009. However, the absence of a holotype specimen has prevented its formal scientific description. Since then only a handful of reports from widely disparate localities across the island have emerged, all from lowland sites and often in close association with fruiting mistletoe. Here, we report the long-awaited capture of a specimen of this putative new species and confirm its morphological and molecular distinctiveness as a novel species in the genus Dicaeum

Systematic notes on Asian birds. 31. Eastern races of the barn swallow Hirundo rustica Linnaeus, 1758

The types of two Far-eastern forms of barn swallow Hirundo rustica saturata Ridgway, 1883 and H. r. mandschurica Meise, 1934 are compared. A significant difference in the colour of the underparts is confirmed and the recognition of mandschurica is recommended