Bronzed Cowbird

Large unmistakable toucan with a huge, rainbow-colored bill. Often seen in pairs, but not usually in groups like aracaris. Flies with a few flaps followed by a swooping glide, sometimes high over the forest canopy, and looks like a ‘flying banana.’ Heard more often than seen: ‘song’ is a far-carrying, frog-like croak, repeated steadily. Despite its large size and bright colors, can be difficult to see in leafy canopy, where it moves deliberately in search of food.

Medium-sized antpitta found in elfin forest and páramo near or above treeline in the Andes of northern Peru. Tiny range. Typical antpitta shape: plump with short tail and long legs. Dull brownish plumage, darker above and buffier below. Sexes similar. Fairly common and much more conspicuous than most other antpittas; frequently seen bounding around in the open, though typically close to shrubby cover. Sometimes sings from a fairly prominent perch; listen for three piping whistles, the last note slurred upwards.

A large, alert-looking, white-bellied, brown lapwing with a distinct white “halo” around the dark crown. The immature is duller, but it retains the distinctive crown pattern. Small groups occupy open dry country, preferring cropped and recently burnt grasslands, where they forage for termites, ants, and other invertebrates. Commonly resident, but it also disperses when conditions become unfavorable. It gives a series of noisy, scratchy “kirre” calls that are distinctive.