Manus Cuckooshrike

A small, pudgy, blackish waterbird with reddish eyes, a yellowish bill, and diagnostic pink-red legs. The immature is browner, with duller legs and bill. It scuttles along the edges of swamps and other water bodies, preferring reedbeds and emergent vegetation to forage on, sometimes quite boldly. Like most crakes, it walks tentatively with its head lowered, picking and probing for insects, plant matter, and other food. The distinctive call is an odd, wheezy bubbling and chattering “cheeew-t-t-t-t treeew, t-t-t-t-t-treew”.

Small, distinctive boobook with extensive chestnut-brown barring. Favors surviving primary rainforest, but can sometimes be found in secondary growth; can be found on roadsides through suitable habitat when hunting. The only resident owl on the island; the migratory Northern Boobook is a winter visitor to the island, and is significantly larger and much darker overall, with an all-brown head and brown-striped white underparts. Present species gives an odd, distorted-sounding “qwr-qwerk.” Begging birds give a shrill trill. Unfortunately, like many other Christmas Island species, has suffered declines due to the introduced yellow crazy ant, which has caused the owl to disappear from parts of its range.

Large, brown-winged blackbird of dry valleys in the high Andes of central and northern Bolivia. Prefers sparsely vegetated areas, such as Polylepis woodland, agricultural areas, towns, cactus forest, and scrublands. Brown wings are distinctive, but note that second-year blackbirds of other species (Chopi Blackbird, Shiny Cowbird) can show contrastingly brown retained juvenile wing feathers. Generally forages singly or in small groups, and sings from exposed perches. Song a simple, repeated two-part “pe-chew” given 3-8 times.