Austral Blackbird

A large stork with a completely bare head and neck ideal for its scavenging habits. The adult’s face is red and the neck is yellow while the juvenile has a brownish head and a white, thinly-feathered neck. The upperparts are all dark while the underparts are mostly white. In flight, note the broad wings with distinctive white “armpits” and tucked in neck. Similar to the larger Greater Adjutant; Lesser has a more slender bill, has all-dark upperwings, and often adopts a more upright, less “hunched” posture. Often found in shallow marshes, fields, and swamps.

Dark sparrow-like bird with a restricted range in the Andes of southern Peru. Dark gray with a reddish-orange crown. Forages singly or in pairs on the ground, not usually associating with other species. Extensive gray coloration and red crown distinguish it from other brushfinches within its range. Listen for its song, an emphatic metallic warble: “tseew, suweet.”

A bright and attractive small warbler with many virtually identical relatives. Breeds in foothill and montane forests, where it favors areas with a dense understory. Descends into lower elevations in the winter, when it often moves around with mixed flocks. Bright green above and yellow below, with a gray-and-black-striped crown and a bright yellow eyering; note intermediately strong crown patterning and distinct yellow eyering, often weak but not broken above the eye. Song is a series of lively whistles and chirps uttered in discrete bursts.