Andean Tinamou

Large blue-gray jay with a black face and piercing yellow eyes. Note the white-tipped tail. Found at forest edges, in wooded savanna, in second growth, and in white sand forests, avoiding the interior of humid forests. The “Campina Jay” subspecies of southern Amazonia, considered a species by some authorities, has a pale azure rather than dark purplish-blue breast, a paler uppertail, and two bare blue skin patches around the eye. The call is a loud, harsh “jeer,” similar to the call of Violaceous Jay.

Tiny quail-like bird that is actually more closely related to shorebirds. Intricately patterned above, with a buffy-orange breast and pale belly. Note black spots on the upper sides of the chest. Female is the better-marked of the two sexes. Found in grassy or scrubby areas, where it can be difficult to see; listen for female’s low sonorous moos, most commonly given at dawn and dusk.

Rare and endangered Colombian endemic restricted to a very small area in the northern part of the central Andes. Fairly large and almost uniformly gray with a faint, yellow eyering. Male’s chestnut cap is rarely visible in the field. It is not known to occur together with the more widespread Dusky Piha, which lacks the eyering and cap. Inhabits middle to upper levels of cloud forest and often first detected by voice. It gives airy squeaks, squeals, and clucks, which may be given alone or in an agitated series.