Pityriasidae Bristlehead

This is the sole bird family endemic to Borneo, home of one of the most diverse avifaunas in Asia. The Bristlehead has much exotic appeal. Though its body form and beak are rather like those of a large-headed butcherbird, its head and body are painted with brilliant red, topped off with a naked yellow crown covered with the prickly bristles that give it its name. It is something of a cipher, traveling through and above the forest canopy in groups of a dozen or so, and seldom maintaining a regular schedule that can be anticipated or understood. These travelers keep in touch with amphibian-like nasal and guttural calls somewhat reminiscent of those given by the more social jays.