Rufous Twistwing

This common Eurasian species is a close relative of the House Sparrow. Slightly smaller than House Sparrow with entirely rufous cap, black and white cheek, and limited black in the throat. Males and females are similar. Typically found in noisy small flocks, often in more natural areas than concrete-loving House Sparrow; calls are often higher-pitched than those of House Sparrow, and has a slightly slower chatter. Feeds on seeds. Introduced to a small region in the central U.S. and southeast Australia.

Slender, long-tailed thrush of humid evergreen forest in foothills and highlands. Best known for is ethereal, fluty song; thus, sadly, often sought for the cage bird trade. Usually seen singly, perched quietly and rather upright at low to high levels in forest, but a few may gather at fruiting trees with other species. Plumage slaty gray overall. Broken white eyering is thicker than Brown-backed Solitaire, which is more often a bird of pine-oak forest.

A rare, medium-sized honeyeater of foothill forest in northern New Guinea. Fairly uniform, brown plumage with a white ear spot and light mottling below. Forages singly for insects and doesn’t really visit flowering trees. The only other similar species with a white ear spot is Scrub honeyeater which is found more in scrub than forest and is green with an orange gape. Call, an upslurred “weep” is diagnostic.