Redpoll

Endangered, small black-and-white shearwater, endemic to Mexico. Found around Socorro Island mainly from November to May, and rarely offshore between Jalisco and Oaxaca. It is usually found with feeding flocks of other shearwaters, boobies, and terns. Flight is fast and strong, wheeling fairly high in strong winds. Blackish above and white below with blackish undertail coverts, fairly long tail, and white patches or saddlebags that wrap up around the base of the tail. Similar species: Black-vented Shearwater is dark brownish above without the strong black cap of Townsend’s.

Males have an unusual and distinctive coloration: mostly black, with a chestnut back and belly. Females are brownish-olive, with paler underparts, and a rufous tinge to the rump. Both sexes have a pale eye: yellow in males and pale-brown in females. Found in wet scrub, cultivation, and along forest edge. Usually found in flocks and bustling breeding colonies. Vocalizations are typical of weavers: “chet” notes and a sizzling, “radio static” song. Females could be confused with various other weaver species, but are usually identified by their association with the distinctive males.

Bizarrely for the cover-loving shortwings, this species breeds on treeless alpine slopes, where it takes shelter behind boulders instead of leaves. Coloration is unlike that of any other shortwing: bright rusty-orange above with an extremely finely barred throat and round white spots on the flanks. Descends into subalpine forests, where it can often be found in dense vegetation near streams.