White-winged Cliff-Chat

A small charcoal-colored songbird endemic to New Zealand. Confined to central North Island and a few offshore predator-free islands. Favors mature native and exotic forest stands. Male is almost all black with a white spot above the bill. Female and juvenile grayer, with lighter patches on breast and throat. Can be incredibly confiding and curious about humans. It is possible to bring individuals out into the open by disturbing leaf litter and then sitting quietly. Actively flushes out prey with foot trembling and by flicking its wings and tail. Male song is a loud and simple phrase of notes including “pwee-pwee-pwee.”

Small understory antwren. Males are dark gray with an extensive black throat (extending farther down than in Long-winged Antwren); females are tan below, gray above. Both sexes have white wing spots; this is an especially helpful feature in identifying females. Found in areas of tangled understory in mature rainforest; largely restricted to bamboo patches in areas with bamboo. Usually rarer than the similar Long-winged Antwren, and differs in voice; its song is a slow series of punctuated downslurred whistles “pew, pew, pew, pew, . . .” unlike the high wheezy song of Long-winged Antwren.

Medium-sized antbird with a long rusty tail and rusty wings. Found in the understory of dense humid forests with bamboo. Males have a black crested crown and a well-marked face with a black mask and a long white eyebrow. The face, breast, and back are spotted black and white while the rest of the body is rusty. Females differ in having a brownish crown with black streaks and are buffy on the breast, and nape with faint streaks and tawny buff below.