Gray-headed Batis

Large, bulky rosefinch. Male is pinkish-red below with a streaked brown back. Female is streaky dust-brown all over. Both sexes are very similar to Great Rosefinch; look out for dark streaking on the back in both, as well as smaller white, more solid-looking white spots on the underparts of the male. Breeds in dry open expanses with sparse scrubby vegetation at around 3700-5200 meters. Winters in similar habitat, sometimes descending to lower elevations. Song consists of somewhat hoarse whistled notes. Gives a sparrow-like “chweep” and a shorter “chep.”

Very small swift with stiff, quick wingbeats. Grayish overall with paler throat and brownish rump. Relatively short-winged and short-tailed compared with other similar swifts. Often in small flocks. Listen for its high-pitched chips and trills. Feeds on aerial insects over a variety of habitats, including forests, fields, towns, and bodies of water. Multiple populations are surely distinct species. Migratory population breeds extensively in the western U.S. and Canada, wintering to Central America. Resident “Richmond’s Swift” occurs through much of Mexico and Central America, and is darker overall than migratory Vaux’s with a more contrasting pale throat and browner rump. There are also resident populations on the Yucatan peninsula and in western Venezuela, for which identification criteria are not well-defined. Range overlaps with several other similar swifts in Mexico and Central America. Vaux’s is smaller with quicker wingbeats than Chimney Swift or Gray-rumped Swift, with higher-pitched calls.

Restless tanager with a thin bill and a bright yellow-orange head. Usually forages about eye level or higher in savannas, woodlands, and forest borders. The eastern subspecies has an olive-brown back and cinnamon underparts whereas western birds are gray above and white below. Females are similar but duller. The song is a series of very high-pitched “chip” notes.