Fox's Weaver

Adult males have dark blue head, back, and wings. Breast and sides are deep orange with orange sometimes bleeding onto back. Females are grayer overall with orange on breast, blue usually restricted to wings and tail. Favors fields with some trees and open woods. Often in small groups. Frequently perches on wires or fence posts. Nests in cavities. Range barely overlaps Eastern Bluebird, but note orange on back of males and grayer belly and sides of neck on female.

Small flowerpiercer with restricted range in western Colombia and northwest Ecuador. Entirely ultramarine blue, though can appear dark in poor light. Most distinctive feature is its piercing red eye. Also note the typical flowerpiercer bill: uniquely upswept with a hooked tip. Found in the subtropical zone of the Andes, where singles or pairs forage at all levels of forest and edge, often following mixed-species flocks.

A vocal, gregarious inhabitant of many habitats, although avoids dense woods; often found near human habitation. Note the glossy purple-black plumage, medium-length squared tail, and somewhat thick bill. Similar species include Shiny Cowbird, Red-shouldered Blackbird, and Greater Antillean Grackle. The male Shiny Cowbird is smaller, shorter-billed, and has even glossier plumage than the Cuban Blackbird. The Greater Antillean Grackle has pale (not dark) eyes, a narrower bill and a longer tail. The female Red-shouldered Blackbird is a bit smaller with a narrower bill, and is less glossy. Vocalizations include “schee-o” and a loud “chuck,” both metallic and given singly or in series. Also common is a “chok, chok, chok, lee, lee, lee.”