New Caledonian Parakeet

A medium-sized, fairly small bird of lowland and foothill forest interior. Black upperparts, head and marks on the sides of the chest, underparts white up to the bill, thin white eye-brow, wedge below the eye and patch in the wing. Shy and difficult to see. Very similar to Black- chinned Robin and co-occurs in some areas, but Black-sided has black on the sides of the chest, and has a narrower white eyebrow. Heard more often than seen. Voice, a distinctive “wee-chow!”, the second note with an explosive quality.

Local and often rather wary dove of fairly open coastal habitats, such as beach dunes with desert scrub, overgrown fields, town edges. Resembles widespread Mourning Dove of North America, but slightly stockier, with a shorter and squared tail. Feeds on the ground, but most often seen in flight, which is fast and direct, usually rather low over the treetops. Best field mark is the white trailing edge to the inner part of the wing, usually quite distinct in flight.

A chunky and gregarious resident of wet upland forests; often found in flocks of up to 15 birds. Its green body, bluish head, and orange-red spot on upper chest readily separates this species from the Imperial Parrot, the only other parrot sharing its range, as well as parrot species commonly kept in captivity. The largely blue underwing, often seen in flight, is also distinctive. Calls include a shrill “chur-lu-weeek” with the final note louder and higher pitched, plus a shrill, almost trilled, “cureeek.”