30 HOW TO IDENTIFY NEW ZEALAND BIRDS 
ie Caden ee 
. in. Goldfinch (Carduelis elegans). Introduced. Forehead 
and throat red, cheeks white. Upper parts brown. Wings 
black, white and yellow. Tail black tipped with white. 
Under parts dull white shading into buffish brown. Legs 
flesh colour. Flight light and undulating, with constant 
twitter. Haunts, gardens, orchards, and waste lands, road- 
sides, and fields. Very restless movements, clings to weeds 
in various attitudes. Distinctive feature, red face and gold 
on wings. Passeriformes. <« 
us 
5.5 in. Hedge Sparrow (Accentor modularis). Introduced. 
Head bluish grey streaked with brown. Upper parts reddish 
brown streaked with dark brown. Under parts buffish white, 
upper breast bluish grey. Legs yellowish brown. Flight 
slow and rather uncertain, usually short. Haunts, hedges, 
gardens and bushes. Hops and shuffles wings. Distinctive 
feature, habit of shuffling wings and rather shrill ery. 
Retiring in habits. Grey breast. Passeriformes. 
5.7 in, Whitehead, (Certhiparus albicilla). Head brownish 
white. Irides black. Back, tail, sides of body, and flanks 
light brown. Wing feathers dark brown. Lower parts 
white tinged brown. Legs bluish black. Seldom flies far. 
Usually flits from tree to tree, practically always in flocks. 
Haunts, woody localities, outskirts of forests, and near rivers 
in low bush. In high forest also, not necessarily near out- 
skirts. Hops from twig to twig, very active, clinging head 
downwards in search of food. Gregarious. Found only in 
North Island. Call of ‘‘Viu, viu, viu, zirzirzirzir.’’ Notes 
like canary, sings in middle of day. Passeriformes. 
5.25 in. Brown Creeper (Finschia novaeseelandiae). Head 
brown inclined rufous. Sides inclined grey. Upper parts 
rufous brown. Under parts whitish fawn. Legs pale brown. 
Flight much like Whitehead Haunts wooded areas, bush. 
Constantly on the move slowly, stopping to sing. Found 
only in South Island. Song in chorus started by one bird, 
others gradually joining in. Passeriformes. 
5.75 in. Linnet (Acanthis cannabina). Introduced. Crim- 
son patch on forehead and centre of crown. Upper parts 
chestnut brown. Wings and tail feathers black with white 
margins. Under parts flushed with carmine on the breast. 
Legs brown. Light and undulating flight though less so 
than Redpole. Haunts, orchards, manuka scrub, outskirts 
of bush, gorse-clad hills as in Great Britain. In winter in 
flocks and more widespread. Noisy and twittering. In 
spring male often singing on outstanding twig, near nest. 
Distinguished from Redpole by larger size. Passeriformes. 
6 in. e Sparrow (Passer domesticus). Introduced. 
Crown ash grey. . throat black. Upper parts chestnut 
