Rufous-collared Kingfisher

Small becard occurring from Venezuela to Peru, mainly on the east slope of the Andes, and disjunctly in Costa Rica and Panama. Mostly found in foothills, in middle to upper levels of humid montane forest. Male is mostly gray with bold white edges on the wing feathers and a black cap with pale spectacles. Compare with White-winged Becard, which has a black back and dark lores. Female is very different; look for her brown cap bordered with black, white spectacles, pale yellowish belly, and tawny edges on wing feathers. Extremely similar to Cryptic Becard, with potential range overlap on the east slope of the Andes in Ecuador and Peru. Male Black-and-white shows a broader upper wingbar, darker lores, a blacker upperside of the tail, and stouter bill than Cryptic. Female Black-and-white has a brighter rufous crown with a broader black border. These features may all be difficult or impossible to assess in the field; some birds are best left unidentified. Also note voice: song a slow series of one or several sweet downslurred whistles followed by an upslurred whistle, often repeated two or three times. Cryptic’s song is faster, with shorter notes.

Rather large, fairly common woodcreeper of tropical forest in both dry and humid areas. Feeds mainly on larger trunks, often probing into bromeliads and moving methodically. Note the long stout bill, which is mostly pale (but not really ivory colored), and the bold streaking on the head, back, and underparts. Streak-headed Woodcreeper is smaller and more active, with a slender, slightly decurved bill, very different voice.

Medium-sized hummingbird, male mostly green with blue throat and glittering emerald and blue belly. Blue undertail coverts. Females are paler buffy below with a speckled appearance. Both sexes have conspicuous large white puffs at base of legs, much larger than Buff-tailed Coronet’s white puffs. Found in the temperate zone of the Andes, where they most often occur at the forest edge.