Bird Guide

Discover 20 bird species

Spot-tailed Nightjar

Antiurus maculicaudus

Small nightjar of savanna and grassland with scattered bushes and palmettos. Spends the day roosting cryptically on the ground, but at night may be found beside quiet roads and tracks. Like all nightjars, eyes reflect amber-red in lights. Plumage similar to other nightjars, but note the pale buffy eyebrow, buffy V-shaped stripe on the back, and bold wing spotting. Male has small white tail tip, lacking in female. White spots on male’s tail usually only visible in the hand. Song is high and insectlike, unlikely to draw attention.

Chiguanco Thrush

Turdus chiguanco

Fairly common in Andes and western desert foothills. Found in varied habitats from parks and gardens to farmland and other semiopen habitats with hedges and taller trees. Two distinct populations: in northern and western birds, sexes look alike, dark ashy gray overall with a yellow bill and amber eyes; in southern and eastern birds, male is dull blackish with a yellow bill and eyering and female is dark ashy gray overall with a yellow bill. No similar species in Chile, but in Bolivia and Peru compare with larger Great Thrush, which prefers more humid habitats.

Plain-backed Sparrow

Passer flaveolus

Male resembles a faded blend between House and Russet Sparrows, with a black throat, gray crown and nape, and dusty reddish brows and back. Female has a thin pale brow and is overall very plain and unmarked. House Sparrow females have a broader, more prominent brow stripe and are overall more strongly-marked. Both sexes of Russet Sparrow are likewise much more contrastingly patterned. Gives typical sparrow chirps and chirrups. Inhabits edge habitats including farmlands and gardens. Primarily a lowland species, but gets up into the foothills where it overlaps with Russet Sparrow.

Plains Lark

Corypha kabalii

A large, robust rusty lark with a short crest, hefty bill, and rufous wing panel that is obvious in flight. Geographically variable, ranging from rufous on the back and plain and buffy below to gray on the back with streaks on the pale breast. Pairs are resident in open grassland, grassy savanna, woodland, and cultivated areas. The song is a simple combination of 2-3 whistled notes, repeated over and over. Separated from other larks in its range by its larger size and larger bill.

White-browed Shama

Copsychus luzoniensis

A medium-sized, long-tailed bird of lowland and foothill forest. Male has a black head, upperparts and chest, a single white wingbar, a white belly, pale orange sides, and white outer tail feathers. The female has a gray chest and face with a brown cheek, crown, back, and wings. Somewhat similar to Philippine Magpie-Robin, but White-browed Shama has a long white eyebrow and a rufous rump. Heard more often than seen. Song is a pleasant and varied whistled melody, often finishing in a low, descending warbling trill.

Bay Coucal

Centropus celebensis

A reddish-brown cuckoo with a long, often shaggy-looking tail. Juvenile shows a pale eye and a paler breast and throat than adults. The species favors vine tangles within forest and forest edge in lowlands and foothills, where it is usually encountered singly or in pairs. The entirely brown body, lacking black, separates this species from Lesser Coucal. Song is a series of “hoot” notes that often encourages other nearby coucals to respond. Alarm call is a harsh, short rasping “burr.”

Malabar Imperial-Pigeon

Ducula cuprea

Large elegant pearl-gray pigeon with dark-brown wings. There is a broad gray band across the end of the tail that is especially obvious in flight. Inhabits mature rainforest and deciduous forest, mostly in foothills and montane areas, but sometimes down to sea level. Forages in upper levels of forest, often in small flocks. Flies powerfully over the canopy. Song is deep and resonant: “ouh-woOO WOO.” General coloration similar to Nilgiri Wood-Pigeon, but larger, and lacks that species’ black-and-white patch on the back of the neck. Similar size and structure to Green Imperial-Pigeon, but has many differences, including a brown rather than green back, and the lack of a chestnut undertail patch.

New Guinea Flightless Rail

Megacrex inepta

A very large, flightless rail of lowland swamp forests. Thick yellow bill and strong black legs. Dark brown back, buffy flanks and a pale face and chest. Flicks its wings upwards often. Somewhat similar to Rufous-tailed Bush-Hen, although New Guinea Flightless-Rail is significantly larger, not as dark and has a longer bill. Similar size to a scrubfowl, but the bill is totally different. Call, a rough, introductory “rak! rak! rak! Followed by a series of upslurred growling sounds repeated constantly.

Boano Monarch

Symposiachrus boanensis

A striking black-and-white, heavy-billed flycatcher-like songbird confined to Boano Island. Black above, with black head and throat, white collar, and all-white underparts. Note broad white outer tail feathers. Juveniles gray above with buffy underside. Pairs or singles join mixed-species flocks in understory of lowland forest and forest edge. The species lacks a strong peach collar and wash on the breast, unlike Spectacled Monarch. Song is a level-pitched whistle, “sweee,” sometimes followed by a buzzing trill. Also gives harsh, rasping “grrrt” alarm notes and twittering phrases.

White-winged Dove

Zenaida asiatica

Bulky, grayish-brown dove with conspicuous white patch on wings. When perched, the white patch looks like a line along the bottom edge of the wing, but it is more obvious in flight, contrasting with the dark outer wings. Also look for bold white tips on tail feathers. Heftier and shorter-tailed than Mourning Dove. Also compare with Eurasian Collared-Dove; White-winged is darker and more contrasty on the wings and tail. Found in deserts, fields, cities and suburbs, and open wooded habitats from the southern U.S. to Panama (including the Caribbean). Usually common, sometimes traveling in large flocks, especially in winter. Visits backyard feeders.

North Island Robin

Petroica longipes

A small charcoal-colored songbird endemic to New Zealand. Confined to central North Island and a few offshore predator-free islands. Favors mature native and exotic forest stands. Male is almost all black with a white spot above the bill. Female and juvenile grayer, with lighter patches on breast and throat. Can be incredibly confiding and curious about humans. It is possible to bring individuals out into the open by disturbing leaf litter and then sitting quietly. Actively flushes out prey with foot trembling and by flicking its wings and tail. Male song is a loud and simple phrase of notes including “pwee-pwee-pwee.”

Gray-capped Cuckoo

Coccyzus lansbergi

Brightly-colored cuckoo found mainly west of the Andes. Combination of rufous-tawny body and gray separates it from other cuckoos in range. Nests in deciduous forest, dense scrub, and savanna at lower elevations. Outside of the breeding season, it disperses widely and can be seen far from its breeding areas, including at high elevations on rare occasions. Furtive and rarely comes out into the open for long. Song is short series of soft, guttural notes; also gives a harsh churr.

Black-and-rufous Swallow

Hirundo nigrorufa

A small, gorgeous swallow with blue-black upperparts, rump, and face, and uniform rich rufous chin, throat and underparts. In flight the underwing coverts are rufous. The juvenile is duller than the adult. Singles or pairs are scarce in grassland and savanna, often associated with the edges of swamps, rivers and partially flooded areas. Similar Red-throated Swallow has a reddish rump and is less rufous below than the much more neatly-plumaged Black-and-Rufous Swallow; other similar swallows are larger with longer tails, red rumps and paler underwing coverts.

Dotted Tanager

Ixothraupis varia

Small, beautiful tanager with bright uniform green plumage. Males have bluish wings and tail and scattered dots on breast. Note the dark lores. Females are all green and lack the dark lores. Found patchily in the canopy of humid forest and forest edges, typically in white sand areas or ridgetops, and often found with mixed-species flocks. Easily confused with juveniles of Yellow-bellied and Spotted Tanagers. The song is a very high, hissing “tsip... tsee-tseee-tsee-tsee-tsee”.

Madagascar Blue-Pigeon

Alectroenas madagascariensis

Medium-sized chunky pigeon that is dark blue with a maroon tail. Appears short-tailed in flight. Found in and around rainforest in eastern, central, and northern Madagascar. Most often seen perched up conspicuously on emergent trees, feeding on fruiting trees, or in flight in small flocks. Virtually silent, which is very unusual for a pigeon. Dark-blue coloration separates it from all other pigeons on Madagascar. 

Sharpe's Longclaw

Macronyx sharpei

A small, pretty member of the pipit family. Note the yellow underparts, the breast band of black streaks, and the scaly brown upperparts. Males and females are similar, but females are duller. The white edges of the tail are conspicuous in weak, fluttering flight. Found on the ground in montane grassland, often in wet areas. Similar to Yellow-throated Longclaw, but there is little overlap in range, and Sharpe’s is separated by being much smaller and having a streaky rather than solid black breast band. Brownish immatures can be confused with pipits, but show some pale yellow below. The song is a series of musical whistles in an up-and-down pattern, given from a perch or in flight. The calls include a sharp “siit” and a longer, metallic “chweee.” 

Fiji Parrotfinch

Erythrura pealii

A gorgeous small finch with a bright crimson face, rump, and tail. Body is green with a blue chest and a black throat. Common in forest edge, gardens, and scrubby park habitats. Uncommon in forest. Pink-billed Parrotfinch is similar, but pale pink bill and black face are diagnostic. Fiji’s voice is a thin high-pitched “cheee cheee cheee.”

Black-tailed Trogon

Trogon melanurus

Large trogon with a red belly and stout yellow bill. The female has a gray head and chest, while the male is emerald green with a white band separating the chest from its red belly. Note the plain dark gray undertail. Found in canopy and middle levels of lowland forest, mainly in the Amazon basin of northern South America but also in eastern Panama, northern Colombia, and western Venezuela. The similar Slaty-tailed Trogon has a red bill and males lack the white chest band seen on Black-tailed Trogons. Listen for slow series of low-pitched “coop” calls.

Blackthroat

Calliope obscura

A somberly-colored robin which breeds in dense bamboo thickets. Male is slate-gray above (only a hint of blue may be detected in good lighting) with a white belly and black bib. Female is brown with a paler belly and a rusty-brown tail. Forages on the ground and in low bushes like most other small robins. Shy, usually keeping close to cover. Song is a series of distinct, separated phrases consisting of bright fluid warbling, high buzzy trills, and buzzy warbling.

Grass Wren

Cistothorus platensis

Tiny, bubbly, buffy-colored wren of dense grassy or shrubby habitats. Fairly common but locally distributed from central Mexico to the southernmost tip of South America; surely comprises multiple species. Occurs from open grasslands and marshes at sea level up to paramo in the high Andes. Generally secretive, but perches up when singing. Generally pale brownish with complex patterning on upperparts; compare with much plainer House Wren. Variable voice, usually including harsh chips, buzzes, and trills.