Silver-beaked Tanager

A fairly large bird of lowland and foothill secondary forest and edge. As the name suggests, a variably plumaged bird. All have rufous underparts, but one is all rufous with yellow bill, the rest have dark bill and dark wings, some with blackish and others with gray hood. All rufous birds are similar to Rusty Pitohui but lack the white eye. Black headed birds are almost identical to Hooded Pitohui, but Northern Variable is slightly larger and found at lower elevations. The variable song is a medium-pitch, warbled jumble and call, a nasal grating.

Large forest guan found in far southeastern Peru, Bolivia, southwestern Brazil, and northern Paraguay, often along rivers. Plumage is mostly black with a white face, crown, nape, and wing patch. It has a bare patch of skin on the throat that may be light blue or white. On older birds this skin patch ends in a wormlike wattle that dangles below the neck. Formerly treated as a subspecies of Blue-throated Piping-Guan; it can be distinguished by the pure white (not buff-streaked) crown and nape, paler blue or white throat patch, and the wormlike wattle (on adults). In some areas, including the Pantanal, individuals with blue and red throat patches can be found; these are likely hybrids with Red-throated Piping-Guan. Mostly arboreal, but sometimes descends to the ground to feed or drink. Song, often given at dawn or dusk, is a rising series of clear whistles. Occasionally rattles its wings loudly in flight.

A rather small, demure understory denizen resembling a cross between a robin and a flycatcher. Mostly dull brown above, with an olive-brown crown and richer orange-brown underparts. Juvenile is more mottled. A highly local bird, found singly and in pairs in the understory of primary and secondary montane forest in a narrow range along the Rubeho and Ukaguru (and possibly Uluguru) mountains escarpment between 1800 and 2200 meters. Sits for long periods, sallying to catch insect prey, or forages on the ground, often in the company of ants and other ant-following birds. Sings a simple high-pitched “tsoot-tseeet-soo-seeet” and other similar songs. Calls include an invariable piping “wheet” uttered once a second. Alarm call is a grating, ticking “drrrzzt, drrrt, drrrt.” May be mistaken for a flycatcher, but its furtive nature and preference for thick understory are unique within its range.