Puaiohi

A relatively large plain brown reed warbler with a pale throat, a yellowish face, a darker cap and tail, and an absurdly long decurved bill. Found in areas of tall dense grasses, reed marshes, and scrubby thickets up to 400 meters of elevation. Song is a slow, loud reel of whistles, warbles, harsh “chak” notes, and trills. Call is a loud, offensive “tchak.” Often sings at night.

Social, black-and-white bird of rainforest canopy. Combination of pied plumage and red bill is diagnostic. Always seen at the uppermost levels of tall rainforest in groups of 4–10 individuals, ranging noisily through the canopy and moving from one emergent tree to the next. Often perches on bare branches but seldom remains in one place for long. Forages deliberately, hopping along branches and taking both insects and fruit. Often associates with other species, but tends to remain on the periphery of mixed-species canopy flocks, sometimes flying off long distances and returning. More often heard than seen; calls include a mixture of slurred and musical doubled notes. Calls are sharp, far carrying, and distinctive once learned.

Stunning laughingthrush with a highly restricted distribution: limited to Wuyuan County in China’s Jiangxi Province. Brown-backed and yellow-bellied, with a black bandit’s mask and a bright blue crown lined with silver on the forehead. Breeds in preserved stands of very tall old trees near rural villages; disperses into mixed hill forest afterwards, where it tends to be more difficult to find. A colonial nester, unusual amongst laughingthrushes. Flock members communicate with one with one another with noisy high-pitched churrs.