Nicobar Scops-Owl

Fairly small, plump bird with large but disjunct range across much of South America. Dull brown above and rufous below with gray face, rufous crown, red eye, and red legs. Sexes similar. Tends to be quite shy, creeping on the ground in thickets, scrub, wet pastures, and savanna. Found in drier habitats than other rail species. Listen for the trilled song with a clicking or tinkling quality, often stuttering a bit.

A small finch with a striking white head and dark body. Rich chestnut brown above, with reddish tail and pale peach-washed underside. Juveniles much duller and browner, but usually show a paler head. Gregarious, found in terrestrial flocks, often with other finches, in open country such as marshes, croplands, grasslands and scrub, in the lowlands. Juvenile has a paler head and a noticeably smaller bill than juvenile Five-colored Munia. Gives weak, high-pitched “weee” and stronger, metallic “wit-wit-wit” notes.

A small forest-dwelling songbird endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. Distinctive yellow head and yellowish to white underparts. Tends to stay high in the canopy, favoring tall native forest. Often encountered moving in small noisy family flocks, uttering loud staccato chattering calls and trills. Male has a musical canary-like song. Female gives a distinctive buzzing call. Adults can be seen feeding far larger Long-tailed Koel chicks, as this species is a favored host of that nest parasite. Easily distinguished from similarly-colored Yellowhammer by very different habitat use: Yellowhammer favors open farmland and scrub rather than mature forest.