Plumbeous Antvireo

This typical “Scytalopus” tapaculo is found only in Colombia’s western Andes. Plumage is gray with a brown tinge to the rump and faint, rusty barring on the lower underparts. Similar to Nariño Tapaculo, Spillmann’s Tapaculo, and Choco Tapaculo, and is best identified by its distinctive voice. Song is a long, pulsating series of frog-like calls that gradually increases in volume and pitch. Inhabits understory of cloud forest and is normally quite hard to see.

A medium-sized greenbul often found in flocks in forest and forest edge with other bearded-greenbuls. Like all bearded-greenbuls, will sometimes puff out throat feathers. Often forages actively along trunks and large branches. Shows a grayish head, a bright white throat, yellow-green underparts, and olive-green upperparts with a reddish tail. Nearly identical to Red-tailed Greenbul, and can occur with it in the same mixed-species flocks in Central Africa. Not all individuals can be safely identified. Listen for White-bearded Greenbul’s distinctive calls as it forages on large branches and trunks, and look for its duller red tail and, at close range, its thinner, smaller bill and more slender build. A vocal species, frequently giving “hut-TYER-CHUR!” or similar short, gruff calls. 

Glossy small black cuckoo with a forked tail. Juvenile has a galaxy-like smattering of white spots all over the body. Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo has a less prominently-forked tail; note less difference in length of outermost tail feathers. Adults may be confused with drongos, but are lighter-billed and smaller, with distinctly white-barred undertail. Widespread, found in forests and scrubby plains from lowlands up into foothills and mountainous areas, but much more often heard than seen, typically sitting still in the middle and upper levels of forest; song is an extremely loud ascending series of whistles. Lays its eggs in the nests of babblers, bulbuls, and shrikes.