White-throated Shrike-Tanager

Unusual, chunky, short-tailed, crested, yellow-eyed member of the vanga family. Males are strikingly black-and-white, with a small white patch at the front of the wing. Females have a chestnut back, blackish head, and pale underparts. The wings are short and rounded, and the flight is weak. Found in the canopy of humid forest, at low and middle elevations, often along forest edge and clearings. The variable song consists of slurred whistles. Calls include rasps and clearer bulbul-like notes.

High-elevation hummingbird endemic to the Andes of southern Ecuador. Plumage is mostly green with a purple throat, and tail is blue on top and greenish underneath. Bill is short and straight. Female has underparts scaled with gray or buff. Compared to the common and widespread Tyrian Metaltail, Violet-throated lacks a rusty tail and has a purple (not green or buffy) throat. Inhabits montane scrub and edge of stunted forest. Most sightings come from in and around Cajas National Park.

Males are striking with a mostly glossy black body, but with a red forehead, crest, and back. Females are uniformly olive-green and also crested. Locally common in gallery forests embedded in savannas where it often accompanies mixed-species flocks. The song is a trilling series of alternately soft and loud whistles.