Morelet's Seedeater

Rather large, dark-backed gull along the Humboldt Current coast. Fairly common to locally common, favoring fishing harbors, beaches, and river mouths; ranges over inshore coastal waters and not found inland. All ages have a broad, clean-cut black tail band and a red-and-black bill tip. Breeding adult has clean white head and lacks the white spots in wingtip seen on the larger and bulkier Kelp Gull. Immature and nonbreeding plumages have a distinctive dark hood and yellowish legs.

Chunky, rounded songbird with heavy thick bill. Found across a wide range of habitats across its range: largely mangroves in Australia, but also inhabits freshwater swamps in New Guinea and forests and forest edge on smaller islands. Male has an olive-yellow back, black head, white chin, bright yellow underparts, and thick yellow hindcollar. Female plain gray above, paler gray below, with yellow undertail and in some subspecies a yellow belly. Overlaps very marginally with the very similar Golden Whistler in eastern Queensland, but note mangrove habitat as well as slightly longer bill and darker uppertail; also note significant yellow on underparts in female and different song. Vocalizations include variations on whistled songs, sometimes with a whip-like ending.

This chunky bird is dingy yellow below and dark brownish above with a tawny crown. Sexes similar. Could be confused with Yellow-breasted Brushfinch, which is found at higher elevations and has a brighter rufous crown. Pairs or small groups are found foraging in the lower levels of montane forest, edges and tangles, often clambering around a couple meters from the ground. Found from around 600–2,500 m.