Sri Lanka Blue-Magpie

A large gray cuckooshrike with a strong, hooked bill. Upperparts are mostly gray with black primaries; male darker than female. Note pale patch on back and white tail tips when bird is in flight. Male is gray with a lightly barred white belly. Female has denser barring that transitions to a white lower belly and undertail. Both sexes have a dark patch from the bill to slightly behind the eye, giving a masked impression. Juvenile is brownish, heavily scaled with whitish-buff, and mottled on the underparts. Immature has broader white edges to wing feathers. Vocal. Often gives a two-noted, rather nasal “gii-yaak,” uttered in flight as well as from a perch; also gives scratchy squeal calls. Inhabits lightly wooded country, avoiding wet forests.

Fairly large wren with a long tail and bill. Prominent white eyebrow contrasts with dark brown crown and paler throat. Rusty above and buff below; the tail and wings are dark barred. Found at the edges of dense forests, second growth, light woodlands, and mangroves where it is usually difficult to see. The song, usually delivered in duet, consists of a loud combination of melodic whistles.

A small, active warbler of lowland and mid-elevation forest understory that is green above and gray below with a noticeable pale eyebrow. Similar to migratory warblers, especially Willow Warbler, but note Uganda Woodland-Warbler’s grayer underparts, paler throat, and yellowish vent. Song is a fast, jumbled mix of high-pitched notes.