Solomons Frogmouth

Very large (size of smaller albatross) with massive pale bill that always has a pinkish tip (often darker than rest of bill). Plumage varies; most birds dark overall or with whitish face, but some have very whitish head and underparts; does not have a white morph, unlike Southern Giant. Juveniles are sooty brown which fades to gray brown as they age. Widespread around Southern Oceans. Habits much like Southern Giant and the two readily associate together often following ships.

Medium-sized, fairly common chickenlike marsh bird found in meadows, ditches, riversides, marshes, as well as parks and farmlands in close proximity to humans; often seen foraging in the open. Adults are dark slaty above and white below, with a rusty patch under the tail. Juvenile similar but duller in color. Remarkably variable song is a series of hooting, grunting, or rasping notes or phrases, repeated monotonously, often from an exposed perch.

Pale, medium-sized gull, smaller and daintier than Glaucous or Herring Gulls. Often looks cute with rounded head and small bill. Extremely variable plumage. Variation is apparently clinal across the Arctic breeding range, from darkest in the west to palest in the east. The palest adults have very pale gray backs and nearly pure white wingtips. The darkest birds, formerly known as Thayer’s Gull, are darker gray above and have blackish wingtips. Young birds range from almost pure white to medium brown, never as dark as Herring Gull. First-year birds usually have a mostly dark bill. Winters along both coasts of North America and in Europe, often near the ocean or on large lakes. Typically found in small numbers among flocks of other large gulls.