Ash-colored Cuckoo

Small nightjar of brushy oak woodland in foothills and highlands; endemic to west Mexico. Heard far more often than seen. Feeds from perches on the ground (including quiet roads) and in trees. Usually sings from a concealed perch. Sexes look similar: cryptic gray-brown to rusty overall with a rather plain face and throat, white "vicar’s collar," white spots on the wings, and narrow white tail tip. Its "ears" are erectile head feathers rarely visible in the field. Loud, resonant whistled "preeOO" song is repeated steadily.

Recently rediscovered tanager. Males are black and white with a whitish-gray bill and small white wing patch. Females are uniformly olive-brown with a darker bill. Found in seasonally flooded forests along rivers and in gallery forest, but always near water. Forages at lower levels but also perches in the tops of trees. Feeds on seeds but also has been reported flycatching. The song begins with a series of low notes and finishes with a trill: “tche, tche, tche, tche, tche, tcherrrrrrrrrrrr, tcherrrrrrrrr, tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.”

A fruit dove primarily of foothill forest but wanders to lowland and montane forest. Two very different races. Dark red-capped race from the Bird’s Head of New Guinea, and yellow-green capped further east. Note the white band from the bill around the back of the neck and clay-colored chest. Similar to Pink-spotted Dove, but Ornate Fruit-Dove has a dark red wedge on the shoulder and yellow tip to the tail. Voice a slow but accelerating series of rising “woop” notes, similar to that of Pink-spotted but not as fast.