Note dark blue upperparts; extensive rufous forehead, ear-coverts, throat and upper-breast; white scalloping undertail coverts; forked tail.
Note high, dome-shaped carapace w/ yellow blotches; beaklike upper jaw; curved rear claws. The carapace pattern is variable and becomes less prominent with age. This one was parked on the road and was promptly moved across the road.
Note strong blue above; chestnut mid-breast to tail. This is likely a male, M. s. philippensis ssp.
Note distinctive white eye-ring interrupted w/ blackish dot; brown iris; gray bill; lemon-yellow throat and breast; olive-green back and wings.
Note short, pink bill with black tip; pale eyes; black tail band; pale underwings. This is most likely a 1st winter adult.
Note long, slightly upturned bill; rusty head/neck; black-and-white body; long legs. Judging from bill, this is likely a male.
Note pale brownish-gray color above; cinnamon belly and undertail coverts; black tail.
Note small size; red crown that extends to eyes; black and white barring down back; dull white and brown underparts with black spots.
Note horizontal, black-and-white striping across back and large, white cheek patch; namesake tiny streak of red on side of the nape within the black cap (male). This one was observed among extensive stands of longleaf pine habitat. This species has been listed as Endangered since 1970. This was one of approximately 5-6 that I observed this day.
Note contrasting cheek patch w/ broken yellow eyering; white lower belly and undertail coverts.
Note bright red skin surrounding eyes; slightly decurved bill; gray-brown upperparts; whitish gray chin; long black and white tail makes up more than one-half of the total body length. I was thrilled to find this fascinating bird, particularly one that captured a lizard from beneath some tree bark. This was one of six I observed over the course of approx. 4 hours.
Note bright red skin surrounding eyes; slightly decurved bill; gray-brown upperparts; whitish gray chin; long black and white tail makes up more than one-half of the total body length. I was thrilled to find this fascinating bird, particularly one that captured a lizard from beneath some tree bark. This was one of six I observed over the course of approx. 4 hours.
Note bright red skin surrounding eyes; slightly decurved bill; gray-brown upperparts; whitish gray chin; long black and white tail makes up more than one-half of the total body length. I was thrilled to find this fascinating bird, particularly one that captured a lizard from beneath some tree bark. This was one of six I observed over the course of approx. 4 hours. I captured an audio clip of this one calling to the other 3 that were within a hundred feet of this one.
Note the finch bill; orange forehead and forecrown; entirely lemon-yellow underparts without any streaking. This species has been introduced on some of the Hawaiian Islands.
Note distinctive red head and crest; white belly; gray back, wings and tail. Although native to South America, this species was introduced to Hawaii in 1928.
Note upright posture; pale eyebrow stripe; bright golden wash on upperparts.
Note bright chestnut breast extends to vent; white rump; noticeably long tail.
Note red chin and throat patch; white malar stripes; entirely bright green above; yellow flanks; long bill. I was thrilled to find this one singing in the tree as I followed its song for about 15 mins and captured a short clip of it singing. It's extremely small size made it virtually invisible in the canopy.
Note light, yellowish-green overall; large, dark red upper mandible.
Tutuila Is. This looks like a SFF to me but any help is appreciated. Note the light patch on top of head; russet brown neck and shoulders; dusty black body. I would expect a sharper color separation on mantle as well as lighter color with P. tonganus.
Note stark white cheeks; black cap and throat. This one was outside the typical range of its Black-capped cousin.
Note silvery-white undersides of wings w/ conspicuous, dark carpal patches; dark-tipped wings; pale (whitish) band across lower breast. I observed this one in some open agriculture habitat.
Note thick, stubby bill; golden head; plump, gray chest.
Based on appearance and geographic location, this looks like a KBS to me. Note the olive-brown color; small, light-colored white spots on sides; strongly flattened dorsal tail. Unfortunately, I do not have any images of its underside. I would estimate this one was approx. 5-6" in total length. This species occurs in the Upper Pee Dee river drainage where I found this one. Elev. 1,580'
Note yellow face w/ dusky olive ear patch; black throat; dusky olive crown and back; black streaking on sides; distinctive yellow wash across vent. Elev. 2,900'
Note red crown; tall, heavy body; long neck and legs. This was one of several I observed in the tall marsh grass.
Note white cheek patch. This one was observed among extensive stands of longleaf pine habitat. This species has been listed as Endangered since 1970. This was one of approximately 2-3 that I observed today.
Note contrasting cheek patch w/ broken yellow eyering; two white wingbars.
Note horizontal, black-and-white striping across back and large, white cheek patch. This one was observed among extensive stands of longleaf pine habitat. This species has been listed as Endangered since 1970. This was one of approximately 2-3 that I observed today.
Note deep blue upperparts and throat; rust-orange breast that extends up over wings onto back. This one captured a beetle and swallowed it in a fraction of second.
Note relatively long muzzle; bright markings w/ strong contrast between bright white and dark stripes; dull orange on shoulders. The geographic range and habitat (pinyon-juniper woodland) is also consistent for this species. This was one of several I spotted in the span of 30 mins. Interestingly, I believe this one kept its tail flat and horizontal as it moved across the rock -- a characteristic consistent with this species.
Note the very large, black-tipped ears and black tail.
Note the grizzled gray back and black stripe down its tail.
Note pointed bill; complete white eyering; gray wings w/ gray edges; yellow undertail coverts and breast. I was thrilled to find this warbler.
Note complete red plumage and thick, blunt bill. You can hear this one calling ("pit-ti-tuck") in the audio clip.
Note long, curved bill that is mostly yellow; white throat; long tail with white edges (slightly visible).
Note white spots on back and wings; blue wings and tail.
This looks like a BW to me despite no pics with wing panel. Note faint orange throat fading to pale yellow on belly and sides; dark crown with pale streak on dark forehead (second image); pale eyebrow; triangular ear patch. This is most likely a female or immature male.
Note pale brown upperparts; bright yellow undertail coverts. This is likely a young female.
Rota Is. Note large, megabat size/shape; light brownish neck; rounded ears.
Rota Is. Note unmistakable distinctive coloration: bright green body, orange belly, bright silver neck and chest, and striking magenta forehead. Sadly, this species has been extirpated on Guam. At least one conservation organization ranks the Mariana Fruit Dove among the most endangered bird species on earth.
https://earth.org/endangered-bird-species/
This rare species has some of the most beautiful plumage colors. This was one of four I spotted over several hours.
Rota Is. Note large, megabat size/shape; light brownish neck; rounded ears. This was one of more than two dozen I spotted flying out and back over the ocean bay.
Tinian Is. Note long, pointed head with prominent ridge between eyes and nostrils; slender body; light middorsal stripe (occasionally present).
Tinian Is. Note clean white body and head; light green cheek; thick black bill with yellow base; bluish-green wings and tail.
Tinian Is. Note bold white eye-ring; dark, thin bill with thin dark stripe at the base of the bill; olive-green above. As I understand it, the nominate species, the Bridled White-eye (Zosterops conspicillatus), was formerly found on Guam, and was last recorded in 1983 and is now extinct (del Hoyo et al. 2008). The reason for the decline is not entirely clear, but the introduction of the Brown Tree-snake (Boiga irregularis) is the most likely cause (van Balen 2016).
Rota Is. Note bullet shape; daggerlike bill w/ slightly decurved tip; chocolate brown plumage; long, pointed wings. This species has several color morphs for adult plumage which are not connected to subspecific classification, such as this chocolate brown morph.
Rota Is. Note narrow black patch through eye; yellow beak; white upperparts with black marks on wings; long white tail streamers.
Rota Is. This is the largest terrestrial arthropod and invertebrate in the world, with a weight of up to 4.1 kg (9 lb). I felt compelled to move this one off the road. This was one of four I found moving across a road.
Note brownish color with distinctive short collar of dark scales. This vulnerable species was introduced to the Marianas.
Rota Is. Note bullet shape; daggerlike bill w/ slightly decurved tip; mostly white plumage; long, pointed wings w/ black flight feathers.
Note clean white body and head; light green cheek; thick black bill with yellow base; bluish-green wings and tail. Based on geographic location (Rota Island), the current taxonomic literature would suggest this is T. a. orii. "Rota" ssp.
Rota I. Note black bill/legs; lax, coal black plumage; dull underparts w/ gray base to feathers; bluish-black tint on tail. This was one of 4-5 individuals I spotted over the course of two hours among some limestone forest w/ fig trees. This particular one was banded. I was absolutely thrilled to find this exceedingly rare and critically endangered species. According to a 2017 Bird Conservation International research paper, the total population of the Mariana Crow is estimated to be a mere 178 individuals, a 10-23% decline in breeding pairs since 2007.
Note uniform black coloration; slightly hooked, black bill; long, deeply forked tail. This south Asian species was introduced to Rota.
Rota I. Note black bill/legs; lax, coal black plumage; dull underparts w/ gray base to feathers; bluish-black tint on tail. This was one of 4-5 individuals I spotted over the course of two hours among some limestone forest w/ fig trees. This particular one was banded. I was absolutely thrilled to find this exceedingly rare and critically endangered species. According to a 2017 Bird Conservation International research paper, the total population of the Mariana Crow is estimated to be a mere 178 individuals, a 10-23% decline in breeding pairs since 2007.
Note the chocolate-brown body with white head and chest (male). This species once inhabited neighboring Guam but that population is now extinct due to predation from the introduced Brown Tree Snake (Boiga irregularis).
Note uniformly black color; yellow eyes.
Note large, megabat size/shape; light brownish neck; rounded ears. It was thrilling to watch a colony of approximately 75-100 leave their roost and fly across a bay at sunset.
Note red beak; white upperparts; long, red tail streamers.
Tinian Is. Note grayish-brown forehead, crown, mantle, back, scapulars and rump; white tips on all outer tail feathers; white undertail; blackish legs. I was thrilled to find this threatened and endemic species of Tinian. This was one of approx. 10-12 I observed over several hours.
Tinian Is. Note grayish-brown forehead, crown, mantle, back, scapulars and rump; white tips on all outer tail feathers; white undertail; blackish legs. I was thrilled to find this threatened and endemic species of Tinian. This was one of approx. 10-12 I observed over several hours.
Tinian Is. Note grayish-brown forehead, crown, mantle, back, scapulars and rump; white tips on all outer tail feathers; white undertail; blackish legs. I was thrilled to find this threatened and endemic species of Tinian. This was one of approx. 10-12 I observed over several hours.
Note tiny bill and small, flat head; gray, brown, black and white camouflage; white patch on lower edges of wings. I observed about a dozen CNs over two days. Sadly, this bird is in steep decline.
Note unmistakable bright red bill and yellow eyes. Band: C/L9
Note dark gray wings and back; diagnostic dark patch on side of breast; white head w/ blackish crown that connects to black patch behind eye; dark spot in front of eye (evident in the high res photos); shallow fork.
Note relatively small size; yellow bill; white forehead.
Note bi-colored bill w/ lower mandible much longer than upper; black upperparts; white underparts.
Note the short, concave snout.
Note black mark on neck and rufous edges to the wing feathers. Elevation 11,482'.
Note unmistakable plumage; white iris; black crown/ear-coverts; glossy, blue-green nape, mantle, and back; chestnut-brown belly and flanks; short tail.
Note white forehead; black cap w/ red patch on back of head (female); black back and chin.
Note round head w/ straight bill; pale eyes (female); plain brown coloration with hint of metallic greenish sheen.
Note thick, conical bill; black head; rich cinnamon-orange upperparts; black-and-white wings.
Note gray breast; intricately scaled underparts w/o buffy belly; forward-drooping head plume. Its cousin, C. gambelii, does not range this far west.
Note white face; red throat pouch; stiff golden feathers on crown; gray plumage; white wings.
This MS watched on as a large group of vultures squabbled over a carcass. Note massive bill; bald head w/ dark iris; black back w/ white upperparts; thin, white legs. This species reputedly has a wingspan of 12-13’, which apparently rivals the Andean Condor for the largest wingspread of any living landbird.
Two adults and two cubs.
Note dark eyes; black skin on head/neck; dark brown upperparts. This was one of a half dozen that were gathered in some trees.
Note stocky build; short tail; white crown/nape; black facial mask that extends from bill to neck.
Note unmistakable plumage; white iris; black crown/ear-coverts; glossy, blue-green nape, mantle, and back; chestnut-brown belly and flanks; short tail.
Note small size; black line across the throat; absence of white patches on cheeks.
Note stout bill; buffish lores and supercilium; rufous-colored rear crown feathers; rufous flight-feathers.
Note distinctive reddish-brown overall; red eyes (male). This was one of three males that I spotted sharing a small wetland pool area.