Streak-chested Antpitta

A little-known, medium-sized bird of mid-montane forest thickets. Overall deep, sooty-brown color. Perches for long periods, scanning for insects. Skulking and difficult to see. Similar to Black Pitohui, and somewhere between the color of the black male and brown female, but Sooty Shrikethrush is smaller. Similar size various species of the Little Shrike-Thrush complex, but darker and found at higher elevation. Voice is little known, but apparently gives a loud, metallic alarm call.

A slim, medium-sized, gray-blue marine shag with yellow-orange feet and a long, slender bill. Breeding plumage is elegant with bright green facial skin, blue eye-rings, and two curved thick white stripes that extend from each eye down to the side of the neck. Non-breeding plumage is duller with crests absent, diminished but still visible neck stripe, and yellowish facial skin. Immatures are paler and browner, lacking head or neck markings. Endemic to New Zealand, where it is mainly found in the coastal waters around the South Island and parts of the North Island. Distinguished from Pitt Island Shag by neck stripe and by the lack of a purple patch in front of the eye. Other similar shags that overlap have pink feet, not yellow.

Medium-sized antbird with a long graduated tail. Males are black with a white-tipped tail and wing coverts. Females are olive-gray, paler below, with the same tail and wing patterns as the male. Inhabits the dense understory of gallery forest, swampy woodland, and deciduous dry forests, usually remaining deep in cover. Song is often a duet, with the male giving three buzzy frog-like notes and the female uttering high-pitched “chip-chip” notes.