Heard Island Shag

A medium-sized bird of lowland forest canopy on Biak Island, in northwestern New Guinea. Male is black above and white below, with extensive white in the wing. Female is similar, but dark gray-brown above. Song is a steadily rising up-and-down series of hiccuping whistles: “wi’di-DEE, wi’di-DEE!”

A very dark babbler with pale scaling on the crown, throat, and breast and a yellow-orange eye. In the southern part of the range has a blackish ear patch, while in the north, can show a brown ear patch and a white chin, or else a completely white face. Found locally in coastal scrub, riparian thickets, and woodland with thick undergrowth. Almost always in small groups, which feed by hopping across the ground. More elusive and skulking than most babblers. Northern subspecies can be similar to White-rumped Babbler, but easily separated by the lack of a white rump. Usually located by the raspy babbling call, usually given by a whole group in chorus. 

Rare and difficult to identify, this petrel is known to breed solely on the steep vegetated slopes of Vanua Lava, in northern Vanuatu. Most frequently reported in the seas surrounding Vanuatu, it likely ranges much further afield in the southwest Pacific; unfortunately, its similarity to other petrel species and the sparse coverage of that region make determining this difficult. Note neat black cap, bright white hindcollar, and black “M” across the uppersides of the wings. Extremely similar to White-necked Petrel; Vanuatu averages slightly smaller and smaller-billed overall, and with minimal amounts of white on the undersides of the primaries compared to White-necked. However, some Vanuatus can show significant white “tongues” in the primary undersides, and as such, identification remains extremely difficult away from the species’ core range in northern Vanuatu. Juan Fernandez Petrel can also be very similar, but lacks the bright white hindcollar and has even more extensive white tongues on the primary undersides. Typically solitary at sea, but can congregate in feeding flocks, sometimes with other species.