Collared Palm-Thrush

A striking bushshrike with a chestnut crown and nape, blackish upperparts with a white wing-stripe, and entirely white underparts. A scarce species that skulks in pairs in the understory of secondary forest and farmbush, including coffee plantations, near Gabela along the Angolan escarpment. Vocalizations are variable, but quality is consistent: a haunting reverberating “whorrrrr,” a sweet musical “til-out, til-out,” and nasal twanging or grating rattles. Tropical Boubou is similar to Gabela Bushshrike but differs by having buffy underparts and a blackish, not chestnut, crown. 

Small owl, active during the day and night. Very similar in plumage to other pygmy-owls, but limited range at high elevation (mostly above 1000m) is a good starting point. Overall brown to rufous with white stripes on belly; look for small white spots on crown and bars on flanks. Sexes alike. Found singly or in pairs in montane forests. Listen for whistled song of doubled notes given on an even pitch.

The breeding male is black with a pale blue bill, brightly-colored shoulder epaulets (chestnut in northeast Africa, yellow elsewhere), and diagnostic white wing panels that are most obvious in flight. The distinctive display is a slow butterfly-like flapping. The non-breeding male is buffy and streaky, but retains the shoulder epaulets and wing panel. The female lacks the wing pattern and has a pale unstreaked belly. Pairs and flocks are resident with local movements in open savanna, brushy grassland, swamps, and cultivated areas.