Banded White-eye

Rare tanager restricted to lowland and foothill rainforest in northwestern Ecuador and western Colombia. Brilliant emerald-green with black face and throat marked with short blue stripes. Similar in color to Emerald Tanager, but note the characteristic black bib and blue whiskers. Typically encountered at middle to upper levels of the forest, and often joins mixed-species flocks.

The red head of the breeding male is distinctive. Non-breeding male and female are nondescript, streaky brown birds with buffy eyebrows. Found in moist grassland and savanna. Most records are of territorial breeding males. Becomes inconspicuous when not breeding, mixing with flocks of other weavers and seedeaters. The call is a rough “jyet”, and the song is an unmusical chattering. Breeding male very similar to breeding male Cardinal Quelea but has more red on the nape and less on the breast, producing a more cleanly “hooded” look.

Fairly distinctive swift found in northwestern South America. Medium-sized with slightly notched tail. Blackish overall with a white throat and white band across the lower belly. Namesake white tips on tail can be difficult to see. Compare with Andean Swift, which has longer, more sickle-shaped wings, a deeper forked tail, and more extensive white on the breast. White-tipped is typically found in small flocks at fairly high elevations, from around 1,300 to 2,700 m (higher than Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift), and often does not associate with other swift species. Occurs over a variety of habitats including forest and drier, more open areas.