Black-striped Sparrow

Chunky bird with broad, triangular wings and short, decurved bill. Gray above, paler gray below, with a black between eye and bill. Tail black with white tip broken by black at the center. Pale underwings contrast with gray belly in flight. Often perches prominently on the top of dead shrubs and trees.

A distinctive swift of lowland forest with a square tail and bulging wings that are “pinched” at the body and widest in the center. Wings, back, and throat are blackish, while belly, tail, and rump are white. Could be confused with Cassin’s Spinetail, but Sabine’s Spinetail’s tail extends out beyond the wings, giving it a typical swift appearance. Call is a high-pitched twitter. 

A medium-sized parrot of mid-montane forest and edge. Green body with barred back and rump, brown face with pale silver bill and red under the tail. Male has yellow crescent bordering the brown face and female has additional barring on underparts. Forages sluggishly at all levels and easily overlooked, although sometimes flushed from tracks where it takes grit. Similar to Painted Tiger-Parrot, but Brehm’s is larger, has a green rump and brown cheeks. Call, a whining, nasal “chew!”, or an upslurred “chuuit!”.