Siamese Pied Starling

Tiny bird, black above, pale below, with fiery bright red cap, red chest patch, and red rump. Plain juvenile has orange bill but otherwise unmarked; lacks the reddish undertail of juvenile Mistletoebird. Found in mangroves and forest on New Guinea and islands in the northern Torres Strait. Calls similar to Mistletoebird, a high-pitched short "seeep" and buzzing sounds.

Streaky, small football-shaped bird, most often seen in flight as it flushes from almost underfoot. Male unmistakable, with natty black-and-white face pattern and triangular black splotch on the chest that resembles spilled paint. Female very similar to Common and Japanese Quails, distinguished by range and by proximity to a male. Inhabits grassy, open areas such as farmland, meadows, and grasslands. Disperses after breeding, occasionally to higher elevations. Male’s song is an odd, songbird-like pair of repeated high squeaks.

A medium-sized, bright-buff bird usually found foraging on the ground in a variety of habitats from croplands to forests. Best separated from similar Spectacled Thrush by its all black bill and lack of bold eyering. Song is a series of sweet up-slurred and down-slurred whistles. Calls are quite different than Spectacled Thrush and include a quick, slightly squeaky “ji-ji-ji-ji-ji” and a paired “chee-ip, chee-ip.”