Silver Teal

A small to medium-sized bird of lowland and foothill forest interior. Slate-gray above with white spots in the wing, white below, black face and silver-gray bill. Undertail is white with a black band in the base and thin black line at the tip. Forages actively at all levels. Unique plumage. Hooded monarch also has a white belly but lacks the gray back and spots in the wing. Voice, high-pitch whistles or nasal, buzzy calls.

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!”

Small finch. Sharply pointed bill is pink in summer, grayish-brown in winter. Small head, long wings, and short, notched tail. Adult males in spring and summer are bright yellow with black forehead and wings. Females are dull yellow below and olive above with two distinct wingbars. In winter, they are drab, buffy-brown. Active and acrobatic. Sometimes in large numbers at feeders or on ground below. Found in weedy fields, cultivated areas, roadsides, orchards, and backyards.