Bluethroat

A perky, upright wren restricted to alpine regions in the South Island of New Zealand. Has a very short tail and rounded wings, but distinctive long legs and toes. Male is a mossy green above and pale gray below, with noticeable yellow flanks and a creamy eyebrow. Female has duller plumage. Stance is often erect; constantly bobs up and down, flicking its wings, before hopping and running. Flies very short distances. Seen out in the open in rocky boulder fields, hence its common New Zealand name of “rock wren.” Gives a high-pitched three-note call which travels well in the open alpine terrain. Pairs will sometimes duet.

Medium-sized antpitta. Typical antpitta shape: plump and short-tailed with long legs, like a grapefruit on stilts. Mostly brown with a brighter cinnamon belly and grayish crown. Note blotchy white mustache stripe. Very similar in appearance to Scaled Antpitta but typically occurs at slightly higher elevations. Moustached has a less pronounced scaly pattern on the upperparts, browner cheeks, and a slower, higher-pitched song without a stutter in the middle than Scaled Antpitta. Fairly rare and local within limited range in the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador. Occurs in mossy cloud forest in the lower subtropics from around 1,850–2,000 m. Very rarely seen; typically stays hidden in the dense understory, occasionally hopping onto forest trails at dawn or dusk.

A spectacular green turaco with a bushy crest. There are two white marks on the face, though these vary geographically in size, and one subspecies also shows orange on the back of the head. Shows large crimson wing patches in flight. Found in montane forest and woodland. Acts like a typical turaco, bouncing through the trees and flying occasionally with short bursts of wingbeats and long glides. Call is a gruff, accelerating series of “kow” notes. Similar to Prince Ruspoli’s Turaco, but easily separated by its white facial markings.