Common Jery

Small, chunky owl with a large, flat-topped head. Note extensive white spotting and gray face framed in black. Inhabits boreal, highland, and mixed woodlands; nests in tree cavities. Can be very difficult to find by day. At night, listen for fast tooting song, which can be confused with a displaying snipe; note clearer whistled tone and steadier volume. Populations move in response to winter conditions and prey populations, with large numbers moving south of typical wintering range some winters. Sometimes hunts small rodents around bird feeders. In Eurasia, compare with Eurasian Pygmy-Owl, which is smaller, has a less distinct facial disc, and finer spotting. In North America, distinguished from Northern Saw-whet Owl by its colder gray-brown coloration and spotted (not streaked) forehead.

The largest of New Zealand’s kiwis. A reddish to dark brown kiwi with brown to black streaking. Inhabits native forest, tussock grassland, and neighboring farmland. Mostly nocturnal, with some day foraging observed on Stewart Island and certain locations in Fiordland. Restricted to the mountains near Haast, Fiordland, Stewart Island, and sanctuaries. Foraging produces clear audible sniffling. Males give a series of clear rising whistles while females give a harsh throaty wail. Both sexes repeat their call many times. Could be confused with Weka by voice and shape; look for the kiwi’s much longer bill and lack of tail, and listen for its multisyllabic call.

Large and rather uncommon tanager found in the canopy of humid forests where it usually accompanies mixed-species flocks. Plain brown overall with a cinnamon face, wings, and tail and a dark mask running through the eyes. Its plumage mimics the Buff-fronted Foliage-gleaner, with which it is easily confused and it may even occur in the same flock, but note the tanager’s thicker bill. The thin rising song is very high-pitched.