South Georgia Diving-Petrel
Pelecanoides georgicus
A very small, chunky petrel. Note the short broad wings and the pale white throat and underside. Look for whitish rump patches and gray feathering behind the eyes. Breeds on islands in the circumpolar subantarctic zone. Most populations nest on rocky slopes or flat land, but the population on Codfish Island, New Zealand, nests in burrows within unstable sand dunes no more than 100 meters from the sea; this population is sometimes split as a different species. Difficult to distinguish from Common Diving-Petrel at sea due to subtlety of plumage differences.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Pelecanoides georgicus
- Authority
- Murphy & Harper, 1916
- Order
- Procellariiformes
- Family
- Pelecanoididae
- Genus
- Pelecanoides
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds

Beaudouin's Snake-Eagle
Circaetus beaudouini
Chunky dark brown raptor with a white belly marked by thin bars. Immatures are brown when perched, and show rufous patches in the underwing in flight. Found in savanna habitats. Soars frequently and sometimes hovers. Very similar to Short-toed Snake-Eagle, but has darker upperparts and narrower dark bars on the belly; the front of the underwings looks white and unbarred in flight. Immature similar to immature Black-breasted and Short-toed Snake-Eagles, but identified by the rufous patches on the underwings.

Crimson-crowned Flowerpecker
Dicaeum nehrkorni
A tiny, short-tailed songbird. Unmistakable male is dark with a red cap, breast spot, and rump. Underparts white, with a dark vertical line on the belly and white tufts on sides of breast. Female is gray, with red confined to rump; this color patterning is diagnostic. Juvenile resembles female, but lacks the red rump. Singles or pairs inhabit the upper reaches of hill and montane forest and forest edges. Restricted to Sulawesi. Gives thin, high-pitched “tzeet” and “kwit” call notes. Song starts with “tzeet-tzeet” phrases, then descends into a rapid warble.

Melanesian Kingfisher
Todiramphus tristrami
A Collared-type kingfisher found on a broad band of islands northeast of New Guinea, ranging from the Bismarck Archipelago east to Guadalcanal in the Solomons. Varies across range; note blue-green upperparts, pale collar, slender dark mask, and bicolored bill. Compare with Sacred Kingfisher; Melanesian averages darker and bluer above. Inhabits a range of island habitats, often in coastal regions but also well inland, especially in areas without other kingfishers. Listen for loud, harsh, far-carrying calls.
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