Meticulously Detailed

Gould’s shortwing, Heteroxenicus stellatus (photo from Wikimedia) 28 August 2026 When I visit eBird’s website they always display a beautiful photo from Macaulay Library. Yesterday afternoon they presented the photo below of a gorgeous, meticulously detailed bird. Gould’s Shortwing (Heteroxenicus stellatus). Notice the fine scallops on its breast and the tiny stars on its flanks. Stellatus = “starry” or “covered with stars.” It is very unlikely that I will ever see this bird because … Gould’s Shortwing is found in the Himalayas (mainly Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Bhutan), Yunnan and northern parts of Myanmar and Vietnam. It breeds in the eastern Himalayas in rocky areas above the tree-line and winters at lower altitude in wooded valleys. — Wikipedia: Gould’s Shortwing Its voice is so high (> 7,000Hz) that I cannot hear it. video embedded from luigi scarpellini on YouTube Maybe you can hear him sing.