Horned Coot

Rather plain medium-sized honeyeater found in sandstone escarpment and gorge country of western Arnhem Land, including the sandstone areas of Kakadu National Park and Katherine Gorge. Upperparts uniformly gray-green, underparts pale with diffuse gray streaks on chest. Dark cheeks split by thin pale gape mark that extends upward under the blue eye. Calls include loud, wavering, slurred whistles.

Reclusive, dark brown bird of mature rainforest understory. Forages singly or in pairs on the ground, scraping dead leaves aside to look for prey underneath; unlikely to be found with mixed-species flocks. Small pale throat patch and cold brown coloration help distinguish it from other leaftossers; similar to Gray-throated Leaftosser, but Black-tailed has a smaller throat patch and darker grayish-brown undersides (Gray-throated has a warmer reddish-brown breast). Found both in upland and seasonally flooded areas. Its song is a decelerating series of piping whistles; also listen for its sharp “PEEK!” call note, for some recalling Hairy Woodpecker.

A distinctive plump, short-tailed, long-legged terrestrial forest bird with a conspicuous red belly and a broad band of electric blue above that. Head brown and body green. Forages on the ground in humid lowland and hill forest and also in neighboring secondary growth. Calls both from the forest floor and from low perches in the understory. Gives a soft two-note whistle with a quivering, longer first note: “whoooyoop-woo.”