Grayish Baywing

Very secretive medium-sized rail that inhabits dense vegetation around wetland habitats in northern and northeastern Australia. Rarely seen away from cover. Dull gray-blue body, brown wings and tail, with reddish-brown undertail, yellow-green bill with small shield, and long yellow legs. Gives a variety of calls, usually a loud, repeated, squawky "wark-wark-wark" or an agitated "wark-woop, wark-woop, wark-woop."

Large, plump finch of the boreal forest. Adult males are pink overall with two white wingbars and pale gray highlights. Immature males and females are not so bright but still subtly pretty; gray body with olive, yellow, or burnt-orange head and rump. Stubby bill with rounded edges. Song consists of rich, mellow warbles; listen for musical flight calls. Breeds in open coniferous forests. Winters in a variety of wooded habitats, especially around fruiting trees including crabapple and mountain ash. Often extremely tame, allowing close approach.

Attractively patterned black-and-white swift of the Andes and adjacent Pacific lowlands. Ranges widely as singles and loose flocks, sometimes feeding low with swallows, but more often higher overhead when it can be located by its distinctive, rapid-paced buzzy chatters. Plumage is distinctive: black cap, white underparts (with black belly band in west slope populations), and a white rump. Flight faster than swallows with stiff wingbeats. Like all swifts, only perches at remote nest sites and roosts.