Umbrella mosses and lichens in lush greens and purples on the forest floor on (edit: Ulva Island, not) Stewart Island Rakiura.

Some of those mosses look a bit like tarantulas, but I promise they're not. I would've been running away rather than taking photos otherwise...

#Mosstodon #LichenSubscribe #Lichen #Moss #NaturePhotography #Nature #Aotearoa #StewartIsland #NewZealand #Rakiura #UlvaIsland

Chinese Beautiful Rosefinch

A heavily marked rosefinch that is closely related to and extremely similar to Himalayan Beautiful Rosefinch. Male averages more extensively pink with a broader pink brow. The female, on the other hand is almost indistinguishable; look for a more square-tipped and slightly shorter tail. Best distinguished by calls; gives sharp metallic notes instead of Himalayan Beautiful’s more mellow trills and twitters. Inhabits similar montane scrub and open forest habitat, occasionally ventures down into the outskirts of towns and villages; often singly or in pairs.

Link: https://ebird.org/species/chbros1
Photo Location: China

Doing a bit of a crossover today. #DogsOfMosstodon

#dog #DogsOfMastodon #corgi #mosstodon

Great Xenops

Large and subtly beautiful xenops with a pointy curved bill. Has bright rusty plumage with a white throat. Inhabits caatinga woodland; unlike other xenops, does not climb trunks or use its tail for support. Often accompanies mixed-species flocks. The song is a series of nervous chattering notes.

Link: https://ebird.org/species/grexen1
Photo Location: Brazil

Gray-crested Finch

Small, mostly terrestrial finch-like tanager of dry intermontane valleys from central Bolivia to NW Argentina. Plain gray plumage and erect crest distinctive. Prefers open thorn scrub, especially mixed with cacti. Juvenile similar to juvenile and female Black-crested Finch, but supercilium much narrower.

Link: https://ebird.org/species/gycfin1
Photo Location: Bolivia

Arabian Lark

A chunky, large-billed lark of desolate sandy deserts and open arid plains of the Arabian Peninsula. Plain sandy-brown above and paler below, with faint white markings and a dark moustache mark on the face. Also note the pinkish bill and the inky black outer tail feathers, most apparent in flight. Runs about on the ground, stopping abruptly. Found singly or in pairs when breeding, gathering in larger groups only during the non-breeding season. Song, a sequence of beautiful burbling phrases, is given both from the ground and in song flight. Calls include a low wet rattle and a mellow two-noted whistle. Generally similar to other dry-country larks such as Desert and Bar-tailed Larks, but combination of more streaked upperparts, black outer tail feathers, and uniformly pink and bulbous bill is diagnostic.

Link: https://ebird.org/species/dunlar4
Photo Location: Saudi Arabia