Tanahjampea Monarch

A medium-sized dark-backed albatross with pale underwings outlined by a narrow dark border and a dark notch in the armpit. The adult has a whitish head with grayish cheeks that give it a “white-capped” appearance. The gray-green bill has a yellowish tip to both mandibles. Juveniles are grayer on the head with gray bills. The species breeds on islands off Tasmania and New Zealand but disperses widely across the southern Oceans between 15 and 60°S, where it is a frequently encountered pelagic seabird. Similar albatrosses have a dark-tipped (not pale-tipped) lower half to the bill, and Salvin’s Albatross has a pale gray head and Chatham Albatross a slaty-gray head, further differentiating them from White-capped Albatross. Juveniles of these three are very difficult to separate.

Range-restricted flowerpecker endemic to the montane forests of Sumatra. Adult male is dark blue above and pale creamy white below, with a black stripe down the center of the belly and a slight pinkish wash on the breast. Female is much plainer, brownish-olive above and pale buff below. Gives a short, high-pitched buzzy song, as well as lower-pitched buzzy “prbt” notes. Formerly treated as a subspecies of Fire-breasted Flowerpecker.

Dapper little finch endemic to northern Africa, where it inhabits a range of habitats, from forested hills and canyons to coastal parks and gardens. Handsome male has a blue-grayish hood, bright white eye crescents, green back, pinkish throat and breast, and a black-and-white wing pattern (colors muted in winter). Female much drabber but shares male pattern; especially note the complex wing pattern. Both sexes have white outer tail feathers, often striking in flight such as when flushed. Song is a buzzy descending series of trills and rattles; calls include a somewhat sparrow-like “dwee!”