Mystery Bird Mt Messenger, Taranaki
Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2020 7:23 pm
Can anyone help ID this bird that I spotted with Peter Fryer on Mt Messenger last weekend? This was the only image I could get. It was hanging around a very vocal whitehead that was not partial to our company. We initially thought it might have been a young long-tailed cuckoo that the whitehead was feeding but I've not been able to find an image online that could convince me. We heard at least four long-tailed cuckoos on this trip. https://ebird.org/atlasnz/checklist/S63299236
The bird was slightly larger than the adult whitehead. We did not hear any vocalisations from it. It flew very easily through the deep canopy above our heads hung around for 45-60 secs then disappeared. Observed through the glasses the green on the abdomen was more vivid and the colour on the face and forehead was richer and ruddier.
The bird was slightly larger than the adult whitehead. We did not hear any vocalisations from it. It flew very easily through the deep canopy above our heads hung around for 45-60 secs then disappeared. Observed through the glasses the green on the abdomen was more vivid and the colour on the face and forehead was richer and ruddier.