New Zealand Pipit

Small, fairly nondescript bird with a typical warbler shape. The upperparts are gray or olive-green, the breast is pale gray, and the belly shows a variable amount of yellow. Note the dark brownish eye. Found in a wide variety of savanna and woodland habitats, ranging from dry to moist. Active, restless bird that often joins mixed flocks. Song is a short, up-and-down series of chirpy notes. Combination of range and eye color separate it from most other eremomelas. Very similar to Yellow-vented Eremomela, but always shows more yellow on the belly.

Small, dull, brownish babbler. Pale underparts. Faintly scaled crown is orangish and sets it apart from the dark-crowned but otherwise fairly similar Sooty-capped Babbler. Birds north of the Malay Peninsula and southern Thailand have a bicolored crown, with chestnut on the front half and dark on the back. Inhabits lowland and foothill forests, often in wet areas. Forages in noisy flocks, giving rapid-fire series of ticking notes.

Strikingly patterned male is unmistakable with his jet-black face and breast, white cheek patch, dark rust-brown collar, and bright white spots. Brownish female has a small orange nape patch, pale throat, and dense black-and-white markings all over the body; compare with larger Gray Francolin. Occurs in dry grasslands, agricultural land, and weedy fields. Shier than other francolins; more often heard than seen. Usually solitary or in pairs. Male call is a peculiar, metallic-sounding “keek, keek, kek-ke-kek.” Native to Asia, from Turkey east to far eastern India and northern Myanmar; introduced to Hawaii.