Southern Hyliota

Beautiful leaf-green pitta of New Guinea and surrounding islands. Like the other “Hooded-type” pittas with which it was formerly grouped, this species has a black head, powder-blue shoulder patch, and red on the lower belly and undertail. Birds on Numfor Island, off northwestern New Guinea, have a broad deep blue border to the red belly patch. Song is a simple, insistent-sounding “wui, wuii!” with a barking quality.

An entirely blackish short-tailed crow. Has a subtle purplish sheen that is visible in only certain lighting conditions. Juveniles lack purple gloss. Inhabits forest, edge, and plantations in the lowlands and foothills. Singles, pairs, or small groups can be found in the canopy. Recently described from Seram, and perhaps also occurs on Ambon and Buru. Unmistakable, being the only crow on these islands. Gives an odd call for a crow: a nasal, trumpeting “errr.” Gives more crow-like sounds too, but higher-pitched than many sounds of the family, including a high-pitched, guttural “kreh-kreh…”.

Rather local on seacoasts and remote islands south of Tierra del Fuego and on the Falklands. Favors rocky beaches and adjacent shoreline, especially with tussock grass clumps nearby (known as Tussacbird on the Falklands). Like other cinclodes, feeds on the ground, poking under seaweed, and can be very tame. No similar species in range: note dark sooty-brown plumage with only a ghosting of typical cinclodes face stripes and wing stripe. Some regional variation—bill has pale creamy patch at base on South American population and is all dark on birds in the Falklands.