Crested Barbet

A medium-sized loon, common in western North America and across the Pacific to Japan. Dark overall and relatively short-billed for a loon, with a rounded crown and nape. Breeding plumage striking with gray head, white-checkered back, and thin white lines on sides of neck. Nonbreeding plumage is rather dark gray above with a clearly demarcated white throat and even border between gray and white on the neck. Diagnostic dark “chinstrap” is sometimes obvious but can be difficult to see at a distance, and is often absent on first-year birds. Especially similar to Arctic Loon, which overlaps mainly from Alaska to Japan. Pacific is subtly smaller-billed and usually holds its head horizontally. In breeding plumage, Pacific has a paler nape that shines silvery in the sunlight, and thinner white lines on the neck than Arctic. Breeds on lakes and ponds in the tundra. Winters mainly on nearshore ocean waters, sometimes in sheltered bays. Often in loose groups, especially where food is plentiful; sometimes mixes with other loon species. Rare but regular on inland reservoirs and lakes during migration and winter.

Lively medium-sized warbler; a typical member of the “golden-spectacled” complex, with a bright yellow eyering, gray-and-black crown, greenish upperparts, and daisy-yellow underparts. Very similar in appearance to closely-related Bianchi’s, Whistler’s, Martens’s, White-spectacled, and Plain-tailed Warblers. On Gray-crowned, look out for a combination of features: a thin break at the rear of the eyering, a strong gray-and-black head pattern, bright greenish upperparts, and bright yellow underparts. Breeds from the lower foothills up to montane forests and forest edges, roughly between 1200 and 2500 meters of elevation, though elevational range depends on location; averages lower in elevation than Bianchi’s and Whistler’s Warblers, higher than Plain-tailed, and roughly the same range as White-spectacled and Martens’s. Winters in open forests and forest edge in foothills and lowlands. Forages at lower levels in the forest. Song is composed of short bright segments, usually starting with 1-2 introductory notes and ended with 1-2 musical trills or rapid series. White-spectacled has a similar song, but generally with fewer trills and at a lower pitch. Gray-crowned’s call is a rather cricket-like “chirrip.”

A small brown owl with yellow eyes and feathered ear tufts. Note square head shape when tufts are not raised. Body all brown with extensive scattered darker and paler markings. Juvenile is heavily barred on the back and crown. Endemic to the Banggai islands off the east coast of Sulawesi; known specifically from Peleng and Labobo. Inhabits understory of forest and forest edge from lowlands to lower mountains. Distinctive: the only scops-owl in range. Song is a short, low trill, quite different from the clipped whistle of Sulawesi Scops-Owl, which it was once regarded as a subspecies of.