Bare-necked Fruitcrow

Pale, medium-sized owl of dry rocky country with cliffs and canyons. Dark brown above and pale with narrow dark streaks below. Eyes are yellow-orange. Rare, local, and elusive. The vocalizations include a short series of nasal hoots, a long series of low-pitched “huu” notes, and rough “vyeet” notes. Similar to Desert Owl, but usually separated by range and vocalizations. Other differences included darker overall coloration, striped rather than barred underparts, and partially dark gray facial disc.

Rusty edges to feathers and pale eyebrow in winter contrast with blackish feather bases. Breeding males are glossy black. Shorter tail than Common Grackle. Thinner bill than Red-winged Blackbird. Found in wooded swamps. Often in flocks; frequently mixes with Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackle in winter. Look for flocks perched at tops of trees bordering marshes and listen for their calls to help pick them out from large flocks of blackbirds.

Huge albatross of the South Atlantic Ocean; breeds on Gough and Inaccessible Islands. Ranges extensively at sea from Argentina to South Africa, occasionally further east, but identification from other Wandering-type albatrosses is very difficult and often presumed by range. Plumage highly variable, starting chocolate-brown with a white face and gradually becoming whiter over many years. Younger birds separated from Southern Royal Albatross by darker tail, brown markings on head and back, and lack of black “lips” on cutting edge of bill. Older birds more difficult to separate; focus on more coarsely marked upperwings, often with conspicuous white patch in center of wing, and lack of black “lips”. Often shows orange stain on cheek, never shown by Southern Royal. Identification from other Wandering-type Albatross, especially Snowy, extremely difficult. Tristan usually occurs further north, but significant overlap.