Gray-headed Antbird

Small, subtly beautiful, gray-brown duck with a black eye-mask, long neck and wings, and dark bill. Vaguely resembles a female pintail. Both sexes are similar but males sport a more prominent shaggy crest. In flight looks pallid, with whitish underwings, pale secondaries, and dark wingtips. Mostly silent. Typically found in shallow, freshwater or brackish wetlands with abundant emergent vegetation.

Highly migratory flycatcher; it nests from about September through March along the east slope of the Andes in Bolivia and northwestern Argentina, then disperses as far as northern South America. It is mostly gray, with a pale belly, faint wingbars, and a broken eyering. Bill is stubby and yellow at the base. Male has a white crown patch that is usually hidden; females and immatures are tinged olive. Inhabits humid forest, and very inconspicuous when not singing. Typical song is an accelerating, toneless rasp, and it remains almost totally silent outside of its breeding range.

Tiny, active, warbler-like bird of tropical and subtropical forest edge, woodland, and gardens. Feeds on nectar and fruit, and in some areas visits bird feeders. Variable plumage across range, especially in the Caribbean, but always note small size and sharp, slightly decurved bill. Most populations have a bold white eyebrow and yellow underparts. Throat color varies from pale gray on mainland (Mexico to South America) to white on some island populations (including Cozumel) or sooty gray (Greater Antilles). Some birds in the Lesser Antilles are entirely black. Song is variable across range but usually high-pitched and scratchy.