Taczanowski's Ground-Tyrant

Medium-sized owl (but large for a screech-owl) with short ear tufts and brownish (not yellow) eyes. Fairly common in scrubby woodland, thorn forest, and edge of interior southwest Mexico where it is endemic. Sometimes seen hunting beside quiet roads. Usually detected by its gruff, bouncing ball song. Mottled Owl occurs in same areas but is slightly larger, with a rounded head and thicker dark streaks below.

Generally uncommon barrel-chested forest pigeon with dark gray upperparts and pale underparts. Checkerboard-style neck collar comprised of stiff black feathers with creamy-buff tips is unique. Usually encountered hurtling by over evergreen broadleaf hill forests; appears all dark from above, pale with contrastingly dark underwings and dark chest from below. Forages quietly in the canopy, often seen in medium-sized to large flocks; occasionally observed taking grit on the ground. Speckled Wood-Pigeon is also dark above but is maroon brown with light spotting.

A nest parasite that lays its eggs in the nests of pytilias. As with other whydahs, breeding males are spectacular and bizarre, whereas non-breeding males and females are drab and inconspicuous. Breeding males are mostly black, with a rufous collar and a long tail with an odd widened area at its base. Non-breeding males and females have a brownish back, pale underparts, and a reddish bill. Generally scarce and local in broadleaf woodland and lush savanna. Breeding male similar to other paradise-whydahs, but has a longer tail than Sahel Paradise-Whydah, a shorter and thicker-based tail than Togo Paradise-Whydah, and a slightly shorter tail and more rufous collar than Eastern Paradise-Whydah. Non-breeding male and female can be cautiously identified by their combination of a reddish bill, pinkish legs, and simple facial pattern. Not very vocal, but does imitate pytilia vocalizations.