Mottle-backed Elaenia

Elegant, slender bird of open country, frequently seen in flight or perched on exposed snags or telephone wires. Adult green overall, with blue tail, thin black mask, and rufous throat; bright rufous underwings visible in flight. Juvenile similar but paler, with tannish throat and shorter tail, lacking the adult's elongated central tail feathers. Flying bird has distinctive shape, with broad, sharply pointed wings, long tail, and long bill. Nests colonially in sandbanks. Voice a sweet, clipped “cheer-it,” sometimes given in series.

Male is unmistakable, with a glowing silver supercilium, black hood, and fiery orange shoulder and collar. Female is more somber in plumage, brownish above, buffy below, with a trace of the male's pale brow. White-browed Bush-Robin is superficially similar, but darker gray above, with a more prominent supercilium. Inhabits montane regions, often in forest edge or open areas above the treeline.

A handsome and slightly primal-looking babbler of wooded areas, thick fields, and bamboo tangles, wherever there is extensive cover. Angular chestnut crescent behind the ear, combined with the smattering of silver spots behind it, a white throat, and dark eyes, is unique. Forages on the ground and in the understory, usually in pairs or small flocks; does not usually form large flocks as do many other scimitar-babblers. Listen for its echoing hoots, often given in duets.