Long-crested Pygmy-Tyrant

Distinctive gray bird with a pale eye, streaked throat, rufous vent, and large white patches on the tail. Found in a variety of habitats with thick shrubs, including fynbos, karoo, semi-desert, and savanna. A fairly skulking species that is usually detected by voice: an exuberant mixture of ratcheting notes, chatters, and whistles. Similar to Layard’s Warbler, but easily distinguished by rufous vent and more heavily streaked throat.

Mostly ground-dwelling, rotund and rusty brown. Intricate scaling on breast becomes fainter but denser on throat. Note the two rows of white spots on the wing. Prefers to walk and hop rather than fly. Found in dense undergrowth of forest, especially gullies, between 400 and 700 meters of elevation, but occasionally lower. Common call is a very high-pitched, thin “tseeeep” that is easily overlooked.

Tiny, sandy-colored bird with short tail and dark-streaked back. Breeding adult males have orange-gold crown. Song a thin, high-pitched, drawn-out buzzing. Inhabits grasslands of northern and eastern Australia, where perches prominently. In similar grassland habitats, Tawny Grassbird has much longer tail. Very similar Zitting Cisticola always has a streaked crown and a very different “tick-tick-tick” song but otherwise almost identical.