Sykes's Nightjar

Distinctive, sturdy terrestrial bird found in rainforest of northern Queensland. Mostly deep chocolate-brown, with a prominent pale eyering and robust tail with spiky ends. Male has white throat and belly, female an orange throat and white belly. Forages in rainforest leaf litter, usually in pairs or small family groups. Loud whistler-like calls can sound like "chow-chilla" and give the bird its name.

A small black hornbill with an ivory-colored bill that has a reddish smudge at the base and a knob on top. There is a pale blue pouch of skin below the bill. Males have a rich chestnut neck that becomes a darker burnt red around the face and top of the head. Females have black necks and heads. Juveniles resemble male, with a smaller bill. Confined to Sumba, where it is the only hornbill. Inhabits lowland and foothill forest and forest edge, where it frequents the treetops singly or in groups. Calls include a fast-paced, emphatic “kokokokokokok…”.

A medium-small, compact lark with a small bill, a plain face, and an indistinct eyebrow. It has streaky upperparts with a distinct rufous wing panel and a lightly-streaked buffy chest that separates the white throat from the pale belly. Its movement patterns are poorly understood; it is nomadic, appearing unpredictably in large numbers to breed after rain. The male sits on perches, incessantly singing a croaking, gurgling, distinctive four-note “for-syrup-is-sweet” song every 3-5 seconds for hours on end, day and night, earning it its name. When singing, the male stretches its neck, puffs out its whitish throat feathers, and raises a small crest. Occasionally the male rises up 5-10 meters in the air on rapidly flapping wings, sings, and parachutes back down to a prominent perch. The similar Latakoo Lark is smaller than the Monotonous Lark, with a bolder facial pattern including an eyebrow, and a different song and display.