Red-shouldered Tanager

Very large black gamebird with a red bill. Males have a white ventral region which is chestnut in females. Strongly associated with riparian environments, especially seasonally flooded forest and river islands, where it is quite arboreal. Now very rare over much of its range because of overhunting.

Medium-sized ambush-hunter with a long gray bill with a dark, hooked tip. Adult has black head, upper breast, back, and tail that contrast starkly with white nape, breast, belly, and wing pattern. Immature similarly patterned in brown instead of black. More likely than Gray Butcherbird to perch atop trees and poles. Beautiful fluting, whistling song, sometimes heard at night.

Chunky brownish owlet. Shows bars on the breast and spots on the belly. There is significant though subtle geographic variation. The back can be solidly chestnut or brown and barred, the back of the neck is barred, and the top of the head is either spotted or barred. Found in a variety of forest, from lowland rainforest to montane forest, as well as in thickets, and thick woodland. Often active and vocal during the day. Gives a yelping series of hoots, which are usually followed by emphatic, modulated, descending “ptrrrrr” notes. Similar to Pearl-spotted Owlet but has barring rather than spotting on the upperparts, and spots and bars rather than streaking on the underparts. Very similar to the rare Albertine Owlet, but in the area of overlap, has white rather than cream spotting on top of the head, a less richly-colored chestnut back, and a white rather than buff slash across the shoulder. Also reminiscent of Red-chested Owlet, but larger, with a barred chest, and lacks white spots on the tail.