Mountain Peltops

A rather distinctive and bulky warbler: male plain grayish overall with eponymous black cap; female and juvenile plain, slightly browner overall, with rusty-brown cap. Inhabits wooded and scrubby habitats, including gardens, sometimes visiting feeders in the winter. Small numbers winter in Western Europe, but most migratory birds move south to Africa and the Mediterranean region. Song is a varied, rather loud rich warble, often strident. Often gives a harsh “chakchak” call, usually in series. Rare dark morph with black-hooded male and brown-hooded female can be found on the Atlantic Islands and very scarcely elsewhere.

A drab, uniform brown honeyeater with a long, sharp downcurved bill that lacks any knobs. Juveniles show scaled upperparts and a yellowish throat. Singles or pairs inhabit canopy of rainforest, swamp forest, edges, and secondary growth, principally in lowlands, but also in foothills. Differs from Streak-headed Honeyeater in its larger bill, uniform brown plumage, lack of white crown streaks, and lack of pale moustache. Differs from Long-billed Honeyeater in its shorter bill and dark eyes. Gives a strident “tchew” call. Song is a series of “witch-oo” notes or “chew-hoo” phrases.

Lightly built hawk with rather narrow and somewhat tapered wings. Favors heathland, grassland, arable fields, marshes. Mainly seen in flight, quartering fairly low with wings raised in shallow V; flight rather buoyant. Male pale gray overall with black wingtips (can be confused with a gull); note narrow black bar on upperwing. Female told from Hen Harrier by narrower wings, more buoyant flight; juvenile bright rusty below. Some individuals are very dark overall. Pallid Harrier males lack the black wing bars and rusty traces on the underparts of their Montagu's counterparts, while Pallid females and juveniles average far paler in the face.