Yellow-browed Melidectes

Small, brown bird of rainforest floor. Plumage overall dark chestnut brown with a paler throat and blackish tail; bill is thin and slightly decurved. A seldom-seen resident of tall humid forest, where it forages in leaf litter around old fallen logs, tree buttresses, and upturned root masses. Always on or near the ground, flicking leaves in search of insect prey. Usually encountered alone and does not follow mixed-species flocks. Most readily detected when flushed or disturbed, and may assess an observer from a low perch, giving a sharp squeaking call note and moving about nervously. Song, given infrequently, is a series of clear, descending, whistled notes with an impatient quality, sometimes ending in a hard rattle. Very similar to South American Leaftosser; Short-billed has shorter bill and is more uniformly brown on breast and belly, but a good view may be required to verify these marks.

A small, pale plover endemic to New Zealand. Gray above, white below. Note distinctive black bill with tip curving to the right, unique to this species, used to forage under stones for invertebrates. Breeding birds have a clear black band across their chest, thinner in females and varying from absent to distinct in non-breeding or juvenile birds. Breeds only along the braided rivers of Canterbury and Otago. The majority of the population migrates north to winter in large flocks in the harbors and estuaries of the northern North Island, particularly the Firth of Thames and Manukau Harbour. Commonly heard giving a “chip” call.

A large, unusual bushshrike of Tanzania’s Uluguru Mountains with a huge bill, a black head, a green back, and yellow underparts. Found in the canopy of montane forest, usually in pairs. Most often detected by the distinctive and unusual voice, which consists of sliding whistles given in pairs, one lower and one higher, along with well-spaced ratcheting notes. These two vocalizations are usually synchronized as a duet by a pair.