Rennell Gerygone

A beautiful but elusive rainforest francolin. The face is well marked with black and gray, the back is brown, and the underparts have bold white spots. Males are darker, chestnut on the back and black below; females are browner. Roams around on the ground of interior rainforests at low to middle elevations. Very shy and difficult to see well. Similar to Nahan’s Francolin, but separated by the dark bill, the lack of red bare facial skin, and the yellow rather than red legs. Most often detected by vocalizations, which include a bubbly descending series and a duet of nasal notes and repeated, descending phrases. 

Medium-sized thrush of montane forests. Looks large and bulky compared to other thrushes in range; note male’s distinctive black head contrasting with brownish-olive body and yellow bill and legs. Female is similarly patterned but much duller. Found in highland forest and second growth, generally above 800 meters, where it is often the most common thrush. Most reliably seen at fruiting trees, where many individuals may congregate; also often seen at middle levels of forest, where it may take conspicuous perches to assess an observer before flying off. Song is a halting series of phrases, many of them doublets, generally alternating between rich, low notes and high reedy ones; call note is a rich, liquid bark. Male is unlikely to be confused with other species; female could be confused with female Pale-eyed Thrush but is larger, has darker eyes with distinct eyering and a semblance of male’s hooded look.

A stunning long-tailed waxbill with a red bill, mauve cheeks, and a blue rump. The underparts are vibrant chestnut in the male and cream-buff in the female. Pairs are resident in arid thorn savanna and drier woodlands, where they forage on the ground and lower layers of scrub, often in the company of other finches. The species can be secretive, flying quite a distance when flushed. The Black-faced Waxbill is dark like Violet-eared Waxbill, but it has a red rump, a dark mask, and barred wings. The Purple Grenadier lacks mauve cheeks, and its range does not overlap.