New Zealand Bellbird

An eye-catching waterbird found on lakes and ponds with extensive floating vegetation. Long-tailed breeding adults are striking: the large white wing patch and head contrast sharply with its black body and bright yellow neck patch. Short-tailed wintering adults and juveniles have a brown back, white underparts, and a toned-down version of the breeder's head pattern. Vocalizations include a variety of nasal clucking and purring calls; song, seldom heard, a repeated, ringing “ku-woo.”

A small heron that is common in most aquatic habitats across the Indian subcontinent. Adults in breeding plumage have a dark reddish brown back that contrasts with a yellowish head, neck, and breast. In nonbreeding plumage they are virtually indistinguishable from nonbreeding Chinese Pond-Heron. In flight, adults appear surprisingly white due to their strikingly white wings, underparts, and tail. Although typically solitary, large numbers often gather where food is plentiful. Prone to seasonally local movements and vagrancy.

Adult distinctive: glossy black overall with white belly, very long pointed red bill and reddish legs. Juvenile similar, but duller overall. Breeds in swampy coniferous and mixed forests, where rather shy; builds a bulky stick nest high in trees. In mountainous regions also nests on cliffs. Wintering and migrating birds can be found in grasslands, agricultural fields, and on the margins of lakes and rivers. Flies with neck and legs outstretched, and strong, deep wingbeats interspersed with glides; also soars on thermals.