Morningbird

This dull, shy skulker can be difficult to see; instead, listen for its remarkable song, an ascending series of 3-4 long thin monotone whistles (“doooooo-rayyyyy-meeeee”) followed by a slow series of repeated 2- or 3-note musical phrases. If seen well, note the species’ white brow stripe, buff-washed pale underparts, and warm brown upperparts. Favors patches of bamboo in otherwise dense forest, but can be found in other types of dense vegetation. Breeds at 2000-3600 meters of elevation; may descend in the winter.

Small, stocky flycatcher with broad, flat bill. Occupies canopy and midstory of forest edges, gardens, and tall second growth in humid lowlands. Has gray crown, pale yellow underparts, and yellow edgings to wing feathers (but not wingbars). Very similar to a few other species of flycatchers, particularly Yellow-margined and Yellow-olive Flycatchers; best distinguishing features include its pale eye, lack of a yellow patch at the base of the primaries, and voice. Call is a loud, quickly rising whistle: “tuee?”, higher and cleaner than similar calls from species like Brownish Twistwing and Blue-backed Manakin, but not as high as the “twee-twee” of Purple-throated Euphonia.

Small gadfly petrel. Gray upperparts and head, with darker “M” across wings. Underside white, with thin dark wing edge leading into a short diagonal bar cutting into the underwing. Main colonies breed on Mercury, Hen and Chickens, Poor Knights, and Ririwha Islands in New Zealand. Forages in warmer waters off the northern North Island. After breeding, migrates to the central North and Southwest Pacific. Cook’s Petrel is larger and paler but hard to differentiate at sea. Gould’s Petrel has a darker head, giving it a capped appearance, and more extensive dark on the underwing.