Black-faced Solitaire

A medium-sized bird of mid-montane forest understory. Sooty gray color, paler on the belly, darker on the face and wing. Note the pale eye and white throat contrasting with the dark face. Birds on the Huon Peninsular have a gray throat. Perches on low branches, flicking tail and scanning the ground for insect prey. Smoky and Blue-gray Robins have limited altitudinal overlap, but White-eyed is usually found at lower elevations, has a white eye and usually a white throat. Voice, a loud, upslurred whistle “wit!”. Also, a rising series of notes, first whistled then becoming raspier and accelerating.

A chunky, pale, brownish wheatear of mountain habitats in southwestern Arabia. Note the white eyebrow, black eye stripe, clean white throat, and buff breast. The tail is mostly black with a white base and rump, forming a thick “T” pattern that is conspicuous in flight. Found in open habitats at high elevations. The song is a long, complex mix of many different components, both scratchy and musical, sometimes given in a flight display. Similar overall to several other species of wheatears, but no other species shows a combination of large size, long legs, black-and-white pattern on the face, and buff breast.

Chunky, mid-sized rail. Note the black-and-brown scalloped back, gray head and chest, barred belly, reddish bill and yellowish legs. Found in mostly seasonal wetlands, such as flooded grassland. Most often seen trailing its long legs when it flushes from grass before quickly settling back down. Two common vocalizations are a series of dry “krrr” notes and a series of deeper “du-da” notes. Similar color pattern to African Rail, but African Crake has a shorter bill and a spotted back.