pbr2's Favourites

Note black bill, crown and moustachial stripe; broad, white patch at rear of otherwise dark ear-coverts; white throat; olive-brown upperparts; whitish underparts and undertail coverts; black legs. This noisy individual sure made a lot of racket for a single bird!

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 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 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 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 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 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 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.

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.

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.

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. 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 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.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bird-conservation-international/article/abs/an-update-of-the-breeding-population-status-of-the-critically-endangered-mariana-crow-corvus-kubaryi-on-rota-northern-mariana-islands-20132014/B8E1A8BD1DFE2240412409ED0C88695B

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.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bird-conservation-international/article/abs/an-update-of-the-breeding-population-status-of-the-critically-endangered-mariana-crow-corvus-kubaryi-on-rota-northern-mariana-islands-20132014/B8E1A8BD1DFE2240412409ED0C88695B

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).

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 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.