Northern Marquesan Reed Warbler

A distinctive medium-sized yellow bird with a black head and breast, black flight feathers, and a red bill. In flight, the black band towards the tail tip is visible. Juvenile is duller overall with a white streaked throat and a darker bill. Often feeds on fruiting trees with a preference for figs in wooded gardens, groves, and open forests. The song is rich, fluty, and mellow. Calls include raspy, nasal notes that can sound like a croak.

A cute, dumpy, colorful flycatcher-like bird that flits around in the mid-canopy and understory of forest, forest edge, plantations, and gardens. Males have a broad black chest band, yellow-orange eye, white stripe through the top of the wing, and white throat. Females have an orange eye, buff-and-white stripe through the top of the wing, and rufous chin patch. The song is a series of 8-9 plaintive steady piping “peooop” notes, and calls include buzzing grating “ddrz-drrzt-drrr, ddt-ddzt-drzt-drr”. Female Dark Batis is distinguished by its darker (rich rufous rather than white and buff) wing stripe. Male Dark Batis is very similar, but has a slightly longer tail and broader black breast stripe. Also similar to Chinspot Batis, but has darker orange color to the eyes, and female Malawi Batis shows paler rufous on the throat and buff tinges to the wing stripe.

This large, relatively long-tailed cotinga is completely lacking in distinctive plumage: it is entirely plain gray. Sexes alike. Found from around 2,000–3,000 m, far above the elevation range of any similar cotingas. Could be confused with Great Thrush, which is a similar size and color, but note dark legs and bill. Also focus on the Piha’s shape, with its long tail, short bill, and round head. Occurs in humid cloud forest, where it typically perches inconspicuously in the middle to upper levels of forest. Often found around fruiting trees.