Red-throated Tit

Rather drab, small flycatcher of marshes and semiopen areas with bushes and hedges; winters mainly in lowland marshes. Flicks tail upward when perched. Looks similar to several other species in the genus Empidonax. Best identified by its distinctive call: a burry, slightly sneezy “rreeah,” quite different from Willow Flycatcher, which often occurs alongside White-throated in winter. Also note the whitish throat, buffy wingbars and flanks, and the lack of a distinct pale eyering.

A large brown bunting of open environments, from forest edges and clearings to hillsides and agricultural land. Breeding male is very handsome, warm brown overall with a bright white cheek patch and crown; listen for his buzzy song in the summer. Breeding female has largely white underparts and a dirtier white ear with a gray cast on her back. Wintering adults are darker and streakier, but retain the head patterning. Immature birds can be confusing, as they lack the large white cheek patch, and may be confused with Rustic Bunting; look out for a weaker crest, faint streaking on the belly, and a gray ear patch with a white dot near the end. Hybridizes frequently with Yellowhammer where ranges overlap, and nonbreeding adults can look very similar; note absence of any yellow tones. Often gathers in flocks outside of the breeding season, sometimes with other species.

A rarely-encountered medium-sized dark flycatcher, most often found in flooded forests along rivers. Both males and females similar to the related Riverside Tyrant, but that species prefers more open habitat. Male Amazonian Black-Tyrant is shiny-black, smaller and glossier than male Riverside. Female Amazonian are warm brown with streaked underparts, considerably warmer in coloration than female Riverside. Notably quiet for a flycatcher.