Shelley's Oliveback
Nesocharis shelleyi
A unique, beautiful finch of forest, forest edge, and farmlands, found only in the highlands of Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and extreme southwest Nigeria. Surprisingly compact, with a short, stubby tail and a thick bluish bill. Shows a black head, a yellow-green back and wings, and gray undersides. Males also have a yellow-green chest. Feeds acrobatically on small branches, ferns, and other vegetation in the understory and sometimes higher, alone or in small groups. Calls are high pitched “siew” notes, and the song is a sequence of high-pitched buzzy notes.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Nesocharis shelleyi
- Authority
- Alexander, 1903
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Estrildidae
- Genus
- Nesocharis
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds

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A small, slender gray shag, with a slender bill, yellow legs and feet, and small dark spots on its shoulder and wing feathers. Feeds, roosts, and breeds around rocky shorelines of the Chatham Islands. The Chatham Islands Shag and the Great Cormorant are the only two similar species with overlapping range, distinguished by the white upper wing patch on the Chatham Islands Shag and the much darker overall appearance and larger size of the Great Cormorant. The Pitt Island Shag is the only shag found on the Chatham islands to have yellow legs and feet.

Bank Swallow
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Small and compact swallow, with quick flicking wingbeats. Brown above and white below, with a contrasting dark chest band. Note the relatively long, notched tail and narrow, pointed wings. Breeds in colonies; builds nest by tunneling into sandbanks. Can be seen over any open habitat including fields, marshes, and ponds, often in mixed flocks with other species of swallows. Compare with other small brownish swallows where overlaps occur in its extensive global range.
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