Golden-winged Warbler

A conspicuous blackbird of open country in western Ecuador, western Peru, and far southwestern Colombia. Most common at lower elevations, but also reaches some higher Andean valleys. Plumage is all black, and in bright light it may show a slight bluish sheen. Very similar to male Shiny Cowbird but larger, with a longer bill and usually less iridescent feathers. Song is a series of loud whistles, usually given from an exposed perch; may hold head vertically and bob up and down while singing.

Small, sluggish cuckoo, more often heard than seen; listen for the male’s explosive descending trills and a loud but unremarkable “chom-wit!”, often given in flight. Adult male glossy purple with white-barred belly. Female greenish-brown above with curvier, paler barring extending up to the face; juvenile similar but with stronger rufous tones to the wings and orangish crown. Female and juvenile similar to female Asian Emerald Cuckoo or Little Bronze Cuckoo; look for combination of orange bill and patchy iridescent green instead of the Emerald’s unbroken sheen or Little Bronze’s dark bill and duller sheen.

Elegant tern with a long tail and a slender orange bill. Breeding adult has a full black cap and dark belly. Non-breeding adult is paler-bellied and has only a solid black nape patch, with the black of the crown reduced to mottling. Larger, bulkier River Tern can be similar, but averages shorter- and thicker-billed, lacks black belly in breeding plumage, and has patchier black on the head in non-breeding plumage. Black-bellied breeds on sandy or gravel islands in rivers and lakes, but forages over a wider range of wetland habitats. Gives squeaky “wee’tew!” notes. Uncommon and declining.