Writhed Hornbill

Infrequently-encountered small gamebird. Male is uniquely glossy-black all over, while the female is predominantly chestnut-brown with a pale lower belly. Both sexes have an odd, heavy bill somewhat reminiscent of a finch or parrot. Inhabits lowland and foothill forest, often favoring wetter areas. Forages on the ground, singly or in pairs. Generally quiet.

A small kingfisher with an entirely orange bill, dark blue upperparts, a paler blue stripe down the upperside, a white throat, and orange underparts. Also note the orange-washed pale patch on the sides of neck and the orange forehead patch. Inhabits forest understory. Confined to the Sula islands. Overlaps with Blue-eared and Common Kingfishers, but note Sula’s smaller size, entirely orange bill, and darker blackish-blue upperpart coloration. Gives an extremely high-pitched, shrill “tseeeeip” call, as is typical of dwarf-kingfishers.

Large, chunky, dark antbird restricted to northern Colombia and western Venezuela. Male entirely black with namesake blue lores and triangular patch of paler bluish skin behind eye. Female similar but warm dark brown instead of black. Long broad tail often strongly flicked downward and raised back up slowly. Usually seen in pairs, which forage close to the ground within forest. Can be shy and difficult to see. Sometimes follows ant swarms, but frequently seen away from them. Found mainly in the foothills and lower subtropics, up to 1,800 m. Listen for a mourning series of plaintive whistles, “teew, teew, teew, teew.”