Ochre-rumped Bunting

Small bird with thin pointed bill, found in woodland and shrubland across much of arid inland temperate Australia. Brownish gray above, cream-colored below, with white eye, pale speckling on forecrown, pale-tipped dark tail, and vivid chestnut rump, often visible in flight. Forages in small flocks in understory bushes and also on the ground. Young bird has dark eye and can be confused with Slaty-backed Thornbill. Compare Inland Thornbill, which has a heavily streaked chest. Typical calls are very thin rapid chatter interspersed with slower, high- pitched "seeeep seeeep."

A spectacular, long-tailed bright red parrot with purple-blue cheeks and throat, scattered blue markings on the wings, and a deep blue belly. Juveniles duller, showing less blue. Found primarily in montane forest, but also occurs in foothills. Typically seen in groups. Limited to the island of Seram. Differs from Red and Purple-naped Lories in its blue belly, extensive blue cheeks, and blue throat. Noisy, giving harsh shrieks mostly in flight, including repetitive “EEK” and “EE-ER” notes.

Medium-sized plover with a pale throat, brown back, and white belly. Breeding adults have a black mask and a bright orange chest and neck; males average brighter than females. Non-breeding and immature birds are brownish above and white below, with a variable white forehead and eyebrow. Compare with slightly larger Greater Sand-Plover; Tibetan is proportionally smaller-headed and darker-legged, and its shorter bill has a slight bulge at the tip. Smaller Kentish Plover can be similar in non-breeding plumage; Tibetan is taller and longer-legged, without Kentish’s strong white neck band. Very difficult to distinguish from Siberian Sand-Plover, especially nonbreeding and immature birds, though identification can often be presumed by range. In breeding plumage, note the more extensive black mask of Tibetan, typically lacking the white spot on the forehead of Siberian. In nonbreeding plumage, look for a generally broken breast band and clean white flanks in Tibetan. In areas of overlap many birds best left unidentified. Breeds on margins of high-elevation lakes and rivers in China and Mongolia; winters on coastal mudflats, beaches, and inland lakes from Africa to Indonesia.