Himalayan Cutia

Handsome finch with a spiky crest. Males have a black band from the head to the center of the belly, a silver back, and brown-yellow underparts. Female lacks the black band. Occurs in savanna with shrubby areas and scattered trees, and also in caatinga habitat. Mostly forages on the ground, but also can be seen in low trees and bushes.

Tiny hummingbird of tepui highlands. Both sexes distinctive: males have long cheek tufts with black spotting, while females are heavily streaked below. Both have a white rump band like other coquettes. Found only in humid forest and scrub in the tepui region. Feeds on nectar by infiltrating territories of larger hummingbirds; also presumably eats tiny insects. May be seen resting on exposed perches. Both sexes are darker than other coquettes in range, and this species typically occurs at higher elevations than others.

A medium-sized dark-backed albatross with pale underwings outlined by a narrow dark border and a dark notch in the armpit. The adult has a whitish head with grayish cheeks that give it a “white-capped” appearance. The gray-green bill has a yellowish tip to both mandibles. Juveniles are grayer on the head with gray bills. The species breeds on islands off Tasmania and New Zealand but disperses widely across the southern Oceans between 15 and 60°S, where it is a frequently encountered pelagic seabird. Similar albatrosses have a dark-tipped (not pale-tipped) lower half to the bill, and Salvin’s Albatross has a pale gray head and Chatham Albatross a slaty-gray head, further differentiating them from White-capped Albatross. Juveniles of these three are very difficult to separate.