Yellow-rumped Munia

Small and rotund with intricate brown, black, and white patterning. Some striking variation in plumage across range. Most males, including those in the eastern U.S., have bold black and white head pattern and heavy white spotting on belly. In Mexico, males can be entirely cinnamon-colored below and have a fully black head; some might have a white eyebrow or a dark chest band. Females are more consistent throughout range: look for buffy throat and eyebrow. Pairs or small groups are found in scrubby fields and brushy woods. Usually on the ground, but occasionally perches in trees when singing. The only quail native to the eastern U.S., where populations are declining sharply. Listen for distinctive “bob-WHITE!” whistle.

An unusual warbler with a long bill and pale eye. The upperparts are pale, with blurry gray on the chest and rufous on the flanks. Found in humid forest at low and middle elevations, mainly in dense mid-level tangles. Similar in appearance to other longbills, but with a good view, separated by the rufous on the underparts. Also similar to Fraser’s Sunbird, but less yellow below, with a straighter bill. Most often detected by the distinctive song, a melancholy, wandering, variable series of whistles that can either descend or ascend. Sounds quite robin-like.

Like a small version of Golden-fronted Woodpecker. Found in woodland, beach scrub, semi-open wooded habitats; usually less numerous than Golden-fronted. Yucatan populations of Golden-fronted Woodpecker very similar in plumage, but Yucatan Woodpecker has a much shorter bill, ‘egg-yolk’ yellow feathering around the bill base (vs. reddish on local Golden-fronteds), and relatively wider white barring on back (looks silvery at a distance, vs. blackish overall on Golden-fronted). Voice is quite different from Golden-fronted.