South Island Takahe

Beautiful, elegant tern of the Pacific Ocean. Breeding adults are silvery-gray overall with a black cap and crisp white forehead. Bill and legs are black. Nonbreeding birds are mostly white-faced with a messy dark nape; note dark bar on secondaries. Juveniles are washed with beautiful rich cinnamon tones for a brief period of time in late summer. Breeds primarily near the coast in Alaska and Russia. Winters in warm tropical waters of Southeast Asia and the Philippines, but exact wintering range is not well-known. Soft trilled calls are very different from the harsh and grating calls of most other terns.

A strange little understory bird, unmistakable if seen well. Plump and very short-tailed, like a small antpitta or wren. Mostly gray with olive back; most distinctive feature is orange crown. Sexes alike. Found in high-elevation forests from 1500m to treeline, often around bamboo, and always close to the ground. Listen for high, thin calls.

A small shy akalat found in the lower levels of tall forests, often in dark shady areas near water. Note the reddish-brown back and wings, the gray face, and the bright red-orange chest contrasting with a white belly. Almost always found in lowland forest, but a few local populations are found higher up in the foothills. Within its range, most likely to be confused with Forest Robin, but note Lowland Akalat’s plain gray face and distinctive vocalizations. Song is a series of clear, melancholy whistles given with slight pauses in between, “wheeer, gowheer,” as well as faster, more resonant and metallic series of whistles.