Rimatara Reed Warbler

A relatively large rosefinch with a heavy, pale bill. The male has a mottled-pink eyebrow and cheeks and dull pink underparts. The female is brownish overall with strong streaking and a pale, lightly streaked supercilium. Best told apart from other similar rosefinches by the combination of large size, large bill, and relatively short wings and tail. Feeds on the ground. Found in high montane regions in conifer forests, or above treeline. In winter, descends to gardens and groves.

A large, dark shorebird with deep chestnut upperside and breast patterned with black banding and a white belly. Dumpy, with a short tail and long bill. Confined to New Guinea, where it inhabits wet montane forest, nearby thickets, and alpine grassland. Most often seen on the forest floor or in crepuscular aerial display flights. Unmistakable, as the only forest-dwelling shorebird in the mountains on the island. In display flight, gives deep “grrr-grrr-grrr” calls and a thin, high-pitched, disyllabic “chuwit” note heard regularly.

Endemic to the Barusan Islands, off Sumatra’s northwest coast. Dark gingery brown overall, with a slightly lighter head. The only cuckoo-dove on the Barusans, except for Simeulue, where Little Cuckoo-Dove also occurs; note Barusan’s larger size and darker rust-brown chest. Inhabits forested areas in the lowlands and foothills of the Barusans. Similar in habits to other cuckoo-doves: shy and sluggish, typically foraging singly in the middle and lower levels of forest. Gives a three-part series of cooing hoots, “woo-woo-wooOOH”; may sound like just one rising hoot at a distance.