Adelaide's Warbler

Large scoter, with distinctive white patch on wing. Dark chocolate-brown overall; males are darker than females and have small white mark under eye. Note bill pattern: mostly yellow with a dark knob on top and a subtle pinkish tip. Females have two rounded white patches on face. Breeds on ponds, lakes, or rivers in woodland or tundra across much of northern Europe. Winters mainly in coastal waters, sometimes in large flocks. Occasionally found on large inland lakes during migration. Dives frequently, feeding on mollusks and crustaceans.

An odd, thrush-like warbler; extremely shy and seldom seen as it lurks about in dense undergrowth. The largest grasshopper-warbler, with a distinctly robust appearance. Matte brown with pale brow, throat, and belly. Complete lack of streaking distinguishes this species from Middendorff’s and Pallas’s grasshopper-warblers; white throat and pale brow distinguish Gray’s from the much browner Pleske’s Warbler. Slightly warmer-colored Sakhalin Grasshopper-Warbler is extremely similar but has a whiter throat, a thicker brow, and more extensive brown on the underside.

An easily overlooked finch that can sit unnoticed low in the shadows of forest, forest edge, and farmlands. Bicolored in appearance, with dark reddish underparts and face and a gray crown, back, wings, and tail. Sometimes encountered in small groups or mixed-species flocks, and will venture into the canopy. Co-occurs with and sometimes flocks with other species of nigrita, but distinguished from them by its dark reddish undersides combined with its small size. Song is variable, sometimes consisting of four wavering whistles that rise and then fall on the last note: “where are you, there?” Also gives a rising and falling “twee-teer” in combinations of varying length, in addition to harsh chattering notes.