New Caledonian Parakeet

A small, fork-tailed, sooty-brown swallow with different plumages for the sexes: distinctive male has a pure white head and narrow black eye stripe; female has a mostly ashy head with white throat. Immature lacks white on the head. Pairs use clearings and edges of evergreen forest, open woodland, and cultivation. Resident in East Africa, but an intra-African breeding migrant in Zambia and Malawi between October and May. Superficially more similar to swifts than other swallows. Note the differences in flight style: flightier with deep wing beats and rapid changes of direction, as opposed to the more stiff-winged flight of swifts.

Pale and stocky-looking pheasant of hill forests with dense undergrowth; generally scarce due to poaching throughout its range. Male is unmistakable: mostly brown above with a white belly, silvery head, bright red face, and a long pale gray tail with thick russet bands. Female is smaller and shorter-tailed with a faded version of the male’s patterning. Can be quite tame in areas where are protected and fed by rural communities.

Extremely large and conspicuous. White with black wingtips. Very long, orange bill with pouch for scooping up fish. Forages in flocks, swimming together to concentrate fish. Often soars in flocks, infrequently flapping, during migration and when traveling between feeding sites.