Chinese Sparrowhawk

A small songbird with a bold white eye-ring, dark eyes, a green back and forehead, a yellow throat and base to undertail, and a white belly. Groups and pairs roam woods, forest edges and patches, gardens, cultivated spaces, and scrub. Confined to lowlands of southeast Sulawesi. Occurs at lower elevations than Warbling White-eye, and differs from it in the dark eye and green forehead. Separated from Lemon-bellied White-eye by the white belly. Gives a slow-paced, high-pitched descending tinkling song, “chi-chiwit-chit-cher-cher.” Also high “zit” notes.

This spectacular hummingbird was only discovered in 2017, and made headlines when it was described as a new species to science a year later. It is currently known only from one mountain in the Andes of southwestern Ecuador called Cerro de Arcos. Male’s entirely blue throat separates it from the otherwise similar Ecuadorian Hillstar, which does not overlap in range. Female is much duller than male, with greenish upperparts, brownish belly, and green speckles on the throat. Found in paramo at very high elevations, where it feeds on Chuquiraga flowers, which are orange and shaped like tiny pine cones.

Dark-blue kingfisher of aquatic habitats. Note the dark bill and dark blue face. Found mostly along wooded and forested streams and rivers, though also occurs in some other wetland habitats including freshwater marshes and coastal lagoons. Secretive, solitary, and generally uncommon. Call is a high-pitched “seet.” Larger than Malachite Kingfisher, with a black bill. Similar to juvenile Malachite, which has a dark bill, but Half-collared has a dark face without any orange.