Pollen's Vanga

Rusty edges to feathers and pale eyebrow in winter contrast with blackish feather bases. Breeding males are glossy black. Shorter tail than Common Grackle. Thinner bill than Red-winged Blackbird. Found in wooded swamps. Often in flocks; frequently mixes with Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackle in winter. Look for flocks perched at tops of trees bordering marshes and listen for their calls to help pick them out from large flocks of blackbirds.

Plain gray plump songbird with dark tail, white wingbar, and a small forward-curving crest. In flight, shows prominent pale tail tips. Bill short and chunky, darker in adult, paler in juvenile. Note range in arid inland eastern Australia focused on the Lake Eyre Basin. Essentially identical to Chiming Wedgebill except for its voice. Song comprised of one or two quick notes followed by a rapid descending trill "(chit-)chit cheeeeeeeeeer," repeated frequently.

Masterfully camouflaged nightbird. Shape resembles a cuckoo or falcon, but plumage is cryptic, like dead leaves. Patterning varies subtly over wide range. Male has white tail corners and white band on the wing. Active at night and rarely seen by chance, but might be flushed from daytime roost on the ground. Loud churring song at dusk and night may draw attention. Favors open habitats, from dry plains to forest clearings. Hunts from a perch on the ground or a tree, sallying out and flying with agile, rather jerky wingbeats.