Bar-winged Oriole

A small, brownish upland cisticola. Remarkably plain: brown on the upperparts and buff below. The unmarked face often has a gentle expression. Found locally in both thorn savanna and broadleaf woodland. Very similar in appearance to Siffling Cisticola, but generally has warmer coloration and lacks streaking on the back. Also similar to Foxy Cisticola, but less rufous, and there is minimal overlap in range. Similar to Dorst’s Cisticola, but smaller, and the cap and back are roughly the same color. Rufous Cisticola’s unimpressive song consists of 2-3 high-pitched, squeaky notes in a descending pattern, very similar to the song of Siffling Cisticola. 

A variable, gray and white finch-like bird of the Andes. Face is solid black in the northern part of its range but is marked with white blotches in southwestern Ecuador and northern Peru. Crown is chestnut except for the very localized “Paynter’s” group, which has a pale crown and is restricted to far southeastern Ecuador and adjacent areas of Peru. Conspicuous white wing patches help distinguish it from Bay-crowned Brushfinch. Inhabits dense vegetation, such as montane scrub and roadside tangles.

Essentially a tiny brown tennis ball supported by tiny chopsticks. Dark brown above with densely packed black-and-white scaling on the underside. Gives the impression of a tailless rodent as it makes its way furtively through dense shrubbery and leaf litter. Can be quite vocal and is jarringly loud for its size, giving single well-spaced piercing whistles on different high pitches, and occasionally an accelerating, usually rising rapid series of whistles. Also gives a sharp chip.