New Caledonian Cuckooshrike

Male throat varies from steely grayish-purple to bright magenta; note short straight bill and rufous in tail. Female similar to Scintillant Hummingbird but with dark central tail feathers. Small hummingbird that feeds on small flowers in gardens, second growth, and forest edges, mostly above 2000m.

A nest parasite that lays its eggs in the nests of Black-faced Firefinch. Breeding males are glossy black with blue or blue-green iridescence and a pale brownish panel in the wings. Females and non-breeding males are brown and streaky on the back and pale below, with a bold facial pattern. The bill is white and the legs pinkish. Found in woodland, grassland, and thickets, often near water. Breeding males can be identified with care by their vocalizations and by their blue or blue-green gloss. Non-breeding males and females cannot be separated visually from other indigobirds. Imitates the vocalizations of its host firefinches, including soft, repeated whistles. 

Compact, robust, and big-headed warbler. Males are striking with a black hood contrasting with whitish throat, gray back, and red eyering. Females duller with a gray hood, white throat, and buff body. Common in many typical Mediterranean habitats including tall bushes, open woodlands, gardens, coastal scrub, and plantations; also in oases, acacia woodlands, and scrubby desert in non-breeding range. Usually first detected by its song, a fast, angry-sounding rattling "ctret-tret-tret-tret-tret" or "tetwtweer-tik-tik-tik" with whispering in between. The call is a dry "tseck."