Dusky-cheeked Fig-Parrot

Bulky horned owl of highlands from central Peru south to Tierra del Fuego. Note prominent “horns”, black-bordered face, and densely barred belly. Inhabits a wide variety of habitats, from open forests to farm fields and grasslands. Gives a double hoot, “hoohoo!”, sometimes followed by a low churring series. Sometimes active during the day.

An oddly-shaped wren famous for its unique song, which consists of rich, fluting notes intermixed with chirps and rattles. Ranges widely in lowland and foothill rainforest in northern South America, but not found west of the Andes. It is brown with a chestnut throat and breast, and dense barring on wings and tail. There is much regional variation; in parts of its range, it has white streaking on the neck, a white line behind the eye, and/or a whitish to pale bluish eyering. Found alone or in pairs that stay on or near the ground, and can be challenging to see. It is known as “Uirapuru” in Brazil, where it has been celebrated in music, poetry, and even legends.

A plain fulvetta, fairly similar in appearance to the “Gray-cheeked Fulvettas”. Range of the northern subspecies overlaps slightly with that of Yunnan Fulvetta, from which it can be distinguished by duller, more olive-green upperparts, a bolder black line above the eye, and colder gray-washed underparts. Southern subspecies, found in peninsular Malaysia and southern Thailand, is richer brown above with a whiter belly. Fast twittering song is comparable to that of Yunnan Fulvetta but somewhat quicker and shorter. Dry churring rattles are likewise similar to those of Yunnan Fulvetta. Despite its name, does not necessarily inhabit higher altitudes than Yunnan Fulvetta, and altitudinal ranges do overlap.