Slender Antbird

Tiny, hyperactive songbird with an uneven white eyering. Plain olive overall, with slightly brighter greenish edges on the wing and tail feathers. The namesake ruby crown is only present on males, and usually concealed. When agitated, it can be flared up into a bright expressive crest. Breeds in coniferous forests. In migration and winter, found in basically any wooded habitat, including deciduous forests, shrubby woodland, and field edges. Often forages quite low to the ground, sometimes joining mixed flocks of other songbirds. Energetic, moving quickly and flicking its wings. Listen for short, harsh call notes, usually doubled, and surprisingly loud song for such a small bird. Compare with Hutton’s Vireo, which is similar in plumage but has a thicker bill and forages more sluggishly.

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.

Small and compact with a small bill and a shorter tail compared to larger sparrows. Males have a gray head, a vivid rusty shoulder patch, a black throat, and a yellow patch at the base of the white mustache. Females are relatively clean-looking compared to males. Song is a series of high-pitched, sharp “tzip-tzip-tzip…” notes. The flight call is higher-pitched than larger sparrows. Breeds in thick scrub and trees where it builds a large and prominent nest that has unique thermoregulating properties for hot climates. A partial and short-distance migrant; moves in tight, fast-moving flocks.