Chaplin's Barbet

Rather large and powerful-looking for a wheatear. Sexes similar. Differs from Pied and Eastern Black-eared Wheatears by stronger bill, short wings, prominent white tail flash (visible only in flight), and and evenly broad black terminal tail band. Undertail coverts always buff or rusty. Feeds on arthropods on rocky slopes and in desert wadis; in winter descends to plains and valleys. Male sings a soft, flutey, and musical verse from a prominent rock or in flight.

Handsome warbler found only at higher elevations in Colombia’s Santa Marta Mountains. The combination of yellow body and ornately patterned black and white head is unique within its limited range. Hides in dense tangles in cloud forest understory, especially in bamboo patches, and can be hard to see well. Pairs sing duets where one bird gives a rising and falling series of squeaks, and its mate adds a steady series of tic notes. Small numbers can usually be found along the road in the upper reaches of El Dorado Nature Reserve.

Small, warbler-like tanager of tropical lowlands. Favors forest edge, woodland, and semi-open areas with taller trees. Often occurs in small groups, sometimes larger flocks, usually in the canopy of flowering trees, where it probes for nectar with its long bill. Red legs are bright on male, dullest on young birds. Male is blue in breeding plumage, with a turquoise cap; female and non-breeding male are greenish overall with faint streaking on the chest. In flight, the underside of the wings flash bright sulphur-yellow.