Clicking Shrike-Babbler

Pale and stocky-looking pheasant of hill forests with dense undergrowth; generally scarce due to poaching throughout its range. Male is unmistakable: mostly brown above with a white belly, silvery head, bright red face, and a long pale gray tail with thick russet bands. Female is smaller and shorter-tailed with a faded version of the male’s patterning. Can be quite tame in areas where are protected and fed by rural communities.

Endemic to the Falkland Islands, where it is found in seashore areas and offshore islets, typically in association with tussac grass. Often forages on rocky beaches, picking at food items washed up by the tide. Somewhat similar House Wren has wandered to the Falklands before, but note present species’ gray-brown head and neck, lack of a prominent eyering, and longer darker bill. Can be tame and confiding, allowing close approach. Rattling song, somewhat similar to that of House Wren, can be given from an exposed perch or deep in cover. Calls include nasal mews and harsh, dry churrs and rattles.

Gregarious long-tailed inhabitant of grassy and scrubby areas, as well as bamboo stands and secondary growth, in mountains and foothills. Very similar in appearance to Vinous-throated Parrotbill (range overlap minimal) but with a brighter orange head, stronger and more noticeable throat streaking, and no warm orange or reddish tones in the wings. Moves about noisily through dense vegetation, twittering and chattering constantly.