Glacier Finch

The smallest snipe of New Zealand and the only snipe present on the Chatham Islands. A small, rotund wader with mottled brown and black plumage. Note long bill and pale lower breast and belly. Confined to Mangere, Little Mangere, Rangatira, Rabbit Islands, Star Keys, and sometimes Pitt Island. Found in dense vegetation during the day but more active at night when it moves to more open habitat. Male call is a loud “chup chup” which gradually builds to a “queeyoo queeyoo.” Harsher “chep” alarm call often heard at night. Can be heard at night performing a unique flight display known by the Maori name “hakawai.”

Incandescently beautiful male is resplendent in electric blue and snowy white. Female is dull gray-brown with paler underparts. Slight regional variation: “Western” males have a short white eyebrow and “Eastern” females have a faint rusty patch on the forehead. Male may be confused with Himalayan Bluetail, but lacks orange. Female is similar to females of Slaty-blue and Little Pied Flycatchers, but lacks any rufous tones on the tail. Breeds in hill and montane broadleaf and pine forests; descends into lower foothills in winter. Rarely heard song a complex series of whistles and chatters; more commonly heard is the call, a dry trilling chatter, sometimes preceded by a short whistle.

Uncommon throughout most of its range, this elusive rock thrush breeds in rocky hill forest in northeastern China and Russia and migrates down the East Asian coast to winter in southern China and mainland Southeast Asia. Beautiful and distinctive male has a blue crown, orange underparts, and black wings marked with a bright white patch; small white patch on throat is not obvious and difficult to see. Female is brown with scaly markings on her back and breast; she lacks a pale crescent behind the eye. Usually stays low in shrubbery, but male will sing from an exposed perch.