New Zealand King Shag

Dark thrush of montane forests above 1000 meters, endemic to the Philippine island of Luzon. Not strikingly patterned; black with a dark brown head. Also note bright orange bill, eyering, legs, and feet. Forages at all levels of forest, picking fruit from the canopy and flipping leaves for insects on the forest floor. Song is repetitive but lovely, consisting of warbles and trills. Gives low chup notes and explosive rattling series, especially when alarmed.

Large, lanky blackbird with rounded crown and long tail. Males have ridiculously long tails, almost as long as their body, often held in a V-shape like the keel of boat. Males are glossy black. Females are brown, with subtle face pattern. Eye color ranges from brown along western Gulf Coast to yellow on Atlantic Coast. Strictly coastal, except in Florida where they occur inland (often around human development). Overlaps with similar Great-tailed Grackle on Texas coast, but occurs more strictly in coastal saltmarshes and has dark eye (not pale).

An active, unstreaked warbler with a long graduated tail that is sometimes cocked. It is yellowish below with a distinct white throat. When breeding it has a broad dark chest band (narrower in the female) that is reduced or absent in northern populations. Pairs inhabit arid savanna, shrubland, and gardens, where they glean small insects from leaves. The species’ typical song is a dry harsh “dziiip” note repeated 10-30 times in rapid succession. The similar Tawny-flanked Prinia may resemble non-breeding Black-chested Prinia, but Tawny-flanked can be identified by the rusty wings and lack of yellowish underparts.