Galapagos Shearwater

A small, plump finch with a very thick pink bill. The black head and white cheek patch are distinctive. Juveniles have a similar color pattern but are grayer. Social; forages in flocks and roosts communally. Forages in rice fields, grasslands, meadows, and urban and suburban areas (in introduced range). Call consists of one or more musical chirps. Native to the Indonesian islands of Java and Bali, where now quite rare. Introduced widely across the globe including India, Philippines, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and the Hawaiian Islands.

A handsome forest kingfisher with a blue-green back, rich cinnamon underparts, a broad cinnamon eyebrow and collar, a wide blackish line through the eye, and a dark cap. Juvenile duller, with a white-tipped bill, a mottled breast, and scaling on some wing feathers. Inhabits forest and forest edge in lowlands and lower hills, rarely wandering into local gardens. Distinguished from Sacred and Collared Kingfishers by its almost completely umber-colored underside and its broad brow. Its swift, descending trill, “keeeerrrrer,” is often heard, as is its harsh “krrrreee-kreeee” notes and its yapping calls.

Enigmatic and distinctive, this compact all-dark martin has striking red eyes and a bright orange-red bill. Juvenile is duller. In lethargic flight it appears bulky-headed, short-tailed, and triangular-winged. Small to large groups forage high over forested rivers, swamps, and coastal scrub. Birds migrate between two breeding areas, one in coastal central Africa from Gabon to northern Angola (August to December), and another farther inland, centered on the Congo River in west-central Democratic Republic of Congo (January to May), but their habits remain poorly understood. Calls include a scratchy chattering “skeer-skeer”; large flocks can become cacophonous.