Fire-tailed Myzornis

Rare, unobtrusive, and robust forest hawk. Dark above and pale below with gleaming white underwings. Adults of both sexes have a bright yellow bill. Males are gray-faced and females black-faced. Juveniles resemble a miniature Ornate Hawk-Eagle with an orange nape and breast, but are smaller and have bare thighs. Usually found in extensive forests, but occasionally at forest edges and in non-forested areas.

Brightly-colored male is unmistakable with his black mask, sky-blue head, and orange rump and underparts. Female is gray-brown with scaled underparts and faint white eye crescents; similar to larger female Chestnut-bellied Rock-Thrush, but lacks prominent white “ear crescents”, has less densely-patterned underparts, and averages paler overall. Breeds in hilly and montane areas, particularly open dry forests and rocky slopes with scattered trees. Descends in the winter; favors secondary forests and plantations. Forages in trees and on the ground; often searches for prey from snags or telephone wires. Moves with mixed-species flocks in the winter.

Small flowerpiercer with restricted range in western Colombia and northwest Ecuador. Entirely ultramarine blue, though can appear dark in poor light. Most distinctive feature is its piercing red eye. Also note the typical flowerpiercer bill: uniquely upswept with a hooked tip. Found in the subtropical zone of the Andes, where singles or pairs forage at all levels of forest and edge, often following mixed-species flocks.