Fan-tailed Cuckoo

Brightly-colored swallow with a deeply forked tail, pale orangish rump, black squared-off undertail coverts, an incomplete orange collar, and faint streaking below. Juveniles average paler and lack extensive orangish tones; may resemble house-martins but note deeply forked tail. Typically glides on stiff, flat wings, flying quite languidly with shallow wingbeats. Builds mud nests in mountains, on sea cliffs, and on buildings and other structures. Forages over open areas. Frequently gives a short, sparrow-like “twi’wit.” Very similar to African Red-rumped Swallow, but shows much heavier streaking below.

Small scrubwren with white eyebrow and pale iris. Has a dark face with a clear white eyebrow and chin stripe. Primarily olive-brown with a black-and-white shoulder patch and paler front. Chin is white with varying levels of black streaking depending on the location. This species is widespread across eastern coastal Australia, but is absent in the northern areas. Western edge of its expected distribution is the Mt Lofty Ranges east of Adelaide. Found in a wide range of habitats but typically only present where there is reasonably thick undergrowth. It often makes a grumpy buzzing call but also sings a clear musical song.

This large, flashy hummingbird is a common resident throughout much of the Andes, where it inhabits lush cloud forest and frequently visits feeders. Note the white breast patch and long, straight bill. The white tail markings really stand out when it flares its tail, which it often does when interacting with other hummers around feeders. Male is darker than female, sometimes almost black, which makes his colorful crown patch more evident. Birds found south of central Peru and north of the Colombia-Venezuela border region are now considered to be separate species, Gould’s Inca and Green Inca respectively.