Crestless Curassow

Large, plain montane cisticola. The most outstanding aspects of the plumage are a reddish cap and two bands across the tip of the tail, one pale and one black. Found in open montane habitats with thick herbaceous undergrowth, including forest edge, grassland, and heath. Almost always in pairs or small groups. The distinctive song is given in chorus: a frantic up-and-down series of scratchy notes. As with other cisticolas, habitat and vocalizations are important to identification. Fairly similar to Singing Cisticola, but lacks a rufous panel in the wings.

Round-headed diving duck. Males have black breast, medium gray back, white sides, and yellow eye. Head appears black with a greenish sheen in good lighting, never purplish. Females are brown overall, grayer on body in winter, with white patch at base of bill and yellow eye. Very similar to Lesser Scaup; note smoothly rounded head without tall peak, puffier cheeks, more extensive white stripe on wing in flight, and larger, broader bill. Can be similar to immature male and female Tufted Duck, but note smoothly rounded head and more extensive white bill base patch in females. Often in flocks with other Aythya ducks. Tends to prefer saltwater bays and coves, but also found in freshwater.

This large, black, and extraordinarily loud bird vanished from Hawaiian forests in 2002. Fortunately it survived in aviaries, and captive bred birds began to be released back into the wild in 2016 in remote parts of the Big Island; early signs are promising with several pairs attempting to nest. Known to Native Hawaiians as ʻAlalā, it is the only crow or crow-like bird currently found on the archipelago. It is much bigger than the crows found on the US mainland, and is closer in size to a raven. Gives a variety of loud caws, croaks, and squeals.