Owston's Tit

Chunky medium-sized tanager found in Andean cloud forests from Colombia to Bolivia. Yellow below and black above with blue patch on shoulder and blue edges on wing and tail feathers. Conspicuous yellow crown. Some variation across range; population on east slope of Andes in Colombia and Ecuador shows mossy green back. Generally quite common; a core member of mixed-species flocks from 1,200–2,500 m. Can be found in forests, edges, and gardens.

Large, unique, sooty-colored chat with a proportionately small head and long broad white-tipped tail (except on central feathers), often seen only on spread tail. White spots in wings are obvious only in flight. Immature is paler. Pairs and family groups prefer rocky granite hills and outcrops that have light tree cover, especially embedded within Mopane and Miombo woodland. Mobile, they scuttle and bound over rocks and perch in trees, tail regularly raised or fanned. Gives a loud varied collection of high-pitched whistles and trills, often likened to a squeaky wheel.

A small, mostly grass-green bee-eater with a canary-yellow throat separated from buff underparts by a black line across the throat. Singles and pairs occupy grassy savanna and wetland edges. They often perch lower than 1.5 m above the ground, and dart around hunting flying insects, then returning to the same small twig. Calls include a sibilant “s-lip” and other high-pitched notes. The Blue-breasted Bee-eater is slightly larger and has a white patch on the cheek. The much larger Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater has burnt orange underparts, and it prefers highland forest above 1800 m.