Marañon Gnatcatcher

A small sunbird with a short, slightly curved bill. Males are dark above and bright white below with an iridescent blue-green head and chest. Females are gray above and white below with an indistinct white eyebrow. Found very locally in forest and lush woodland at low elevations, mostly in the canopy. Female is similar to female violet-backed sunbirds, but is separated by the smaller size and the lack of a yellow wash on the underparts. The most distinctive vocalization is a two-part “twee-tree,” but also gives typical jumbled sunbird song. 

Small flycatcher found in forest canopy. Confusingly similar to other tyrannulets, but note especially its stubby (not pointy) bill with a very pale base, which can be quite evident since you are often looking straight up at the bird. Voice is another good clue; it often gives sharp whistles, either alone or in a series. It also tends to be more sluggish, perches more vertically, and stays higher up in the trees than other similar tyrannulets. It has two separate populations, one in the Atlantic Forest region, and another along the east slope of the Andes in Argentina, Bolivia, and perhaps far southern Peru. Northward it is replaced by White-fronted Tyrannulet, which is now considered a separate species. The area of overlap is not well known. Rough-legged Tyrannulet is more uniformly colored, showing little or no gray in the crown.

A plump, short-tailed, long-legged terrestrial bird with a red belly, a black throat, a blue chest band, and a ruddy-colored head. Juvenile is dull brown with blue in rump and tail and a horn-colored bill with a pale tip and base. Singles or pairs inhabit forest, degraded patches, and bamboo thickets in lowlands and hills. Differs from Whiskered Pitta in smaller size, black throat, lack of a pale whisker, and more extensive ruddy head coloration. Song is a two-part quivering whistle, the first part rising, the second mournfully descending: “waaaaaaopop-aaaaawwwwwow.” Also gives a piercing “whit” alarm call.