Tody Motmot

A tiny easily-overlooked bird of forest understory. Plumage is mostly rufous, somewhat paler on belly, with a grayish head and a yellow crown patch that is not usually visible under field conditions. Note large-eyed appearance. Found in a variety of forest types, where it is an uncommon and poorly known resident of lower and middle levels; may be somewhat more common in areas with sandy soils. Feeds on insects and fruit taken in short sallies; sometimes found with understory mixed-species flocks. Strikingly similar to more common Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher but somewhat bulkier with distinctive large-eyed look; at close range, note blue-gray legs. Most readily detected by voice: call is a high, slurred note with a squeezed quality, given at fairly long intervals and often preceding the song, which is a distinctive, descending series of piping notes that carries surprisingly far and may be mistaken for a leaftosser at a distance.

A small, stocky wader endemic to New Zealand. Dark brown and black, with barred feathers on the belly. Native to on the Snares Islands, but introduced to Putauhina and Codfish Islands. Found in areas with dense vegetation cover, but will move into less covered areas at night to feed. Rarely flies. Male call is a “chup chup chup” sometimes building to a “queeyoo queeyoo queeyoo.”

A small, plain woodland species often found flycatching from exposed perches at middle levels in the forest; often flicks tail once upon landing. Note that this species has relatively inconspicuous wingbars and no eyering. The similar Eastern Wood-Pewee has distinctly longer primaries (assessed by looking at how far the primaries extend beyond tertials), whitish wingbars, and rarely flicks its tail upon landing. The Greater Antillean Elaenia has bold white wingbars and an entirely dark bill unlike the Jamaican Pewee. Vocalizations include plaintive “wee-wee,” with the second note louder and both notes upslurred, a similarly plaintive ‘uh-weee-oo” with the middle portion upslurred, and a slightly rough, whistled “weeah.”