Auckland Islands Shag
Leucocarbo colensoi
A medium-sized, black-and-white marine shag with a metallic green-and-blue glimmer on the black head and neck. Note the white wing patches. Breeding birds have a prominent crest, red facial skin, a red-orange throat pouch, and magenta-pink eye-rings. Nests and roosts colonially on steep cliffs and rock ledges. Non-breeding plumage fades to brown, and crest is absent. Juveniles have brown facial skin and upperparts. Endemic to the Auckland Islands and only found in shallow waters nearby. Only shag species regularly inhabiting the Auckland Islands.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Leucocarbo colensoi
- Authority
- (Buller, 1888)
- Order
- Suliformes
- Family
- Phalacrocoracidae
- Genus
- Leucocarbo
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Gray-green Scrubwren
Aethomyias arfakianus
A small bird of lower montane forest interior. Whitish belly, pale gray head and greenish wing. Pale grayish wash on the chest with faint streaking, offsetting the whitish throat. Actively searches leaves and branches for insects in small groups. Co-occurs at elevations with other scrubwrens including Vogelkop, Pale-billed and Perplexing, but Gray-green has olive rather than warm brown upperparts. Song, a scratchy jumble of notes followed by an up and down “chi-doo! chi-doo! chi-doo!”. Calls, various raspy, nasal notes and chattering.
Common Grackle
Quiscalus quiscula
Lanky, fierce-looking, glossy blackbird. A bit larger than a jay; smaller, proportionally longer-tailed and shorter-winged than a crow. Staring yellow eye and long heavy bill (compared to Red-winged Blackbird). Often in flocks with other blackbirds in winter. Forages in fields, scrubby areas, and open woods. Visits feeders.
Brown-capped Babbler
Pellorneum fuscocapillus
Small brown babbler, with intense cinnamon underparts and a clear cut blackish brown cap. A terrestrial species occurring on or near the ground in forests, forest edge and nearby scrub and thickets in wooded areas, where typically encountered as pairs. Bold cap and underpart coloration make this distinctive in limited range on Sri Lanka. Repetitive song is a three note whistle “wit-wi-yoo”, ascending at the start and descending at the end. Other more complex warbles are given including an excited series of untidy, downslurred whistles.
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