Brown Crake

A distinctive large kingfisher of lowland forest. Black cap, white collar, blue wing and rump, and rufous belly. Found in the understorey where it scans for its prey of lizards and insects. Superficially similar to the much rarer Shovel-billed Kookaburra, but Rufous-bellied Kookaburra has a blue rather than brown wing, and a longer, paler bill. Several different vocalizations. Call, a repeated, harsh, loud “rek!” note given while flicking its tail slightly; and a hollow rolling call given whilst lifting its tail right up.

Large and impressive raptor with a range encompassing much of the Northern Hemisphere. Mostly dark brown; the namesake golden nape can be hard to see, especially from below. Immatures have a white patch on the underwing and a white tail base. Compared to similar immature sea eagles such as White-tailed and Bald Eagle, lacks significant white mottling on the belly. Also note the relatively short-necked profile. Often holds wings in slight V-shape when soaring. Hunts mainly mammals in remote, open country from grasslands and steppes to mountainous areas.

Stunning and rather large hummingbird, found only on Robinson Crusoe Island in the Juan Fernandez archipelago. Locally fairly common in gardens, forest edges, native scrub, and groves of non-native Eucalyptus trees. Male is bright rusty orange overall with iridescent “firecrown” and an amazing song. Female looks very different: green above with a blue crown and flashy white tail sides, and white below with blue-green spotting. Smaller and very differently plumaged Green-backed Firecrown also occurs in same areas.