Mountain Barbet

A drab, medium-sized flycatcher. Brownish above and pale below, often with a light yellowish wash on the belly. Watch for constant tail-wagging, and also note duller wingbars than Empidonax flycatchers. Common and familiar throughout eastern North America, wintering as far south as southern Mexico. Usually seen singly or in pairs in relatively open habitats such as woodland edge, brushy fields, or edges of ponds. Often nests under eaves of buildings and other human-made structures. An early migrant, returning north to breed much earlier than other flycatchers. Listen for its harsh “FEE-bee” song in the spring, but don’t get confused by Black-capped Chickadee’s higher-pitched, sweet whistled song of a similar pattern!

A large owl of lowland and foothill forest, including secondary habitat and plantations. Warm brown with a heavily marked back, a heavily streaked rufous head and chest, and a more sparsely streaked pale belly. Note the square-shaped head with flattened ear tufts and the yellow eyes. Unmistakable. No other owls of similar size occur in its range. Gives a long, drawn-out, spooky whistled note whose pitch rises slightly, then falls at the end.

Small, flightless dark brown duck, endemic to New Zealand. Males have green iridescence on head, dark chestnut-colored breast, and lightly barred flanks. Females are uniformly dark brown. Both sexes have distinct white eye-ring. Confined to the Auckland islands, where it occurs on all major islands except the main Auckland Island. Found on sheltered shorelines rummaging through windblown kelp piles. Also found on streams with adequate cover of tussock and sedges. Males give a soft trill as an alarm or territorial call. Females give a growl and a rapid quack. Distinguished from other New Zealand endemic teal species by location and light barring on sides.