Northern Plain-Xenops

Small and fairly bright antpitta found in foothills and subtropics from Costa Rica to Bolivia. Typical antpitta shape: plump and short-tailed. Dull brown above. Messy-looking buffy face and eyering. Some geographic variation: breast color varies from buffy to whitish, and some populations show bold dark scaling on breast, while others are nearly unmarked. Sexes similar. Shy and difficult to see; stays on or near the ground in forest, often perching on small limbs a couple meters high (more so than the larger antpittas). Swings its body side to side. Song can be difficult to detect: a simple, extremely high pitched, descending whistle. Occurs from around 500–2,500 m, usually lower than other small antpittas.

A tiny, mostly green parrot, paler green below, with a yellowish undertail and blue uppertail. Some have a bluish cast to the crown. Male has a small orange patch on the belly. Prefers mostly primary forest, but also occurs in secondary habitats up to around 1000 meters of elevation, though often much lower. Red-breasted Pygmy-Parrot differs in its diagnostic pale face, red in males, with strong blue collar and red belly in males, limited blue cap in females. Similar Bismarck Hanging-Parrot is longer-tailed and has blue underwings in flight. Finsch’s call is a typically high-pitched “tsit” or “tsee.”

Widespread terrestrial flycatcher of Andean habitats, ranging locally to foothills in winter. Found in varied habitats from puna plains and bogs to scrubby slopes and agricultural terraces. Perches on weed stalks and shrubs more often than other ground-tyrants. Plumage blue-gray overall with rusty nape patch (rusty in south, paler cinnamon in middle of range, and darkest in north—perhaps three cryptic species); nape patch can be hard to see, but note relatively fine and slightly tipped bill, unlike similar species.