others in this flock had even more black
I spotted a beached-wrecked bird carcass while patrolling Muriwai Beach. My friend, Ariel Wijaya, who I was walking with when I spotted the bird, then delivered it to Ian Mclean of Birds of New Zealand. Photos were taken and reviewed, and the general consensus was Little Bronze Cuckoo. Small, reddish-brownish bird, with rufous, black, and white undertail coverts. The bird is currently at the Auckland Museum and will be prepared as a specimen. This bird is native to Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and Australia. New record for New Zealand.