Abert's Towhee

A fairly large bird of mid-montane forest, including disturbed areas with Casuarinas. Male, mainly black plumage with 2 remarkable erectile fans which are lifted up over the head during its display, metallic, blue-green, trapezium-shaped breast shield and patches above the eyes. Female has a gray-brown back with rufous flight feathers, barred underparts, a broad, black eye-stripe and white eye-brow. Female similar to female parotias, but is slightly smaller and has a dark eye. Female also similar to female Magnificent Bird-of-Paradise but is larger and has a black bill. The male’s yellow-green interior of the mouth is visible whilst it gives its piercing nasal screech.

Small warbler endemic to the Chatham Islands of New Zealand. Note dull olive-brown upperparts and white to yellowish plumage below. Distinctive red eye. Males are larger and have a white forehead, eyebrows, chest, and belly. Females have more subtle coloring. Juveniles have brown eyes and a noticeable yellowish tinge to their underparts. Confined to southern forests and scrub. Forages for insects from tree trunks and leaves. Will come to the ground to forage, often in small family flocks. Listen for loud male song, a repeated 4-note phrase “chi-ch-ch-ch.” Some nests are parasitized by larger Shining Bronze-Cuckoo. Distinguishable from Silvereye by lack of distinctive white eye-ring.

Medium-sized, leaf-green inhabitant of lowland, foothill, and lower montane forests on Java. Male a triangular black throat patch with a deep blue center, as well as a pale yellow patch on the breast. Female is green all over with a small blue throat smudge. Both sexes have vivid blue highlights on the wings, which help to distinguish it from Greater Green Leafbird, which has plain green wings, as well as a pale yellow throat and eyering on females. Vocalizations varied, including a rather slow, simple song consisting of whistles and warbles, as well as shorter warbled series somewhat reminiscent of bulbul vocalizations.