White-breasted Tapaculo

Medium-sized hummingbird, male mostly green above with purple throat, thin white line behind eye, and bright white belly. Female not quite as colorful but still unique with white belly and line behind eye; she has a spotted throat. A forest hummingbird that also comes out to edges and gardens.

A medium-sized sunbird. Males are colorful, with green upperparts and hood, a yellow belly, and an orangey-red patch on the chest. Females are drab brownish. Endemic to central Tanzania’s Uluguru Mountains. Found in montane forest, especially clearings and forest edge. Separated from similar sunbirds by range. Female could be mistaken for female Variable Sunbird, but is darker on the throat and breast, making for less contrast with the dark head. The calls include a long, descending whistle and a harsh “chet” that often precedes a very quick jumble of high-pitched notes. 

Small plump leaf warbler. A “Pallas’s-type” leaf warbler: stout, with a pale rump, crown stripe, and prominent brow stripes. Olive-yellow above with a faint gray wash on the nape. Chinese is distinguished from Pallas’s by its paler, more faded-looking brow and crown stripes, less yellow suffusion all over the body, less compact appearance, and less obvious or absent upper wingbar. Extremely similar Gansu Leaf Warbler and Lemon-rumped Warbler can be difficult to separate; note Chinese’s slightly more elongated and less rounded appearance, a lack of a distinct hook under the end of the brow stripe, less contrasting and more yellowish head patterning, and paler yellowish secondaries. Forages actively, often hovering and hopping about at mid-level. Breeds in montane broadleaved deciduous or mixed forest; moves to lower elevations in winter. On average, found at lower altitudes than Lemon-rumped and Gansu. Lengthy song is unique and bizarre, with a twanging, grating quality: “btrichi-btrichi-btrichi.” Call is an explosive “wip!”, often repeated in medium-length series on the breeding grounds.