Dwarf Bittern

Large trogon, shimmering emerald above with red belly. Male has a puffy tuft of feathers protruding from the forehead and clean white undertail which helps distinguish from similar Golden-headed Quetzal. Female has a brown head and mostly brown belly with a limited amount of green on the chest and red undertail coverts and lower belly. In all plumages, note red eye. Uncommon in subtropical forests and edges, often at slightly lower elevations than Golden-headed, but plenty of overlap. Tends to perch stolidly in the subcanopy and can be difficult to spot. Most often seen in the vicinity of a fruiting tree, singly or in pairs, although sometimes several birds can gather at a food source. Listen for mournful whistled song: “whoo, whoop,” given in widely spaced pairs, with emphasis on second note.

A large raptor of lowland and montane broadleaf and mixed forests, this species is well-known for its tendency to congregate in large flocks of up to thousands during migration. Resident populations inhabit tropical forests from lowlands up into montane areas. While showing considerable plumage variation throughout its range, the combination of an unusually small and slender head, long striped tail, broad wings, and well-striped underwings make this species fairly recognizable across a wide area. True to its name, this species is a raider of wasp and bee nests, although it prefers bee and wasp larvae over their honey.

A distinctive swift of lowland forest with a square tail and bulging wings that are “pinched” at the body and widest in the center. Wings, back, and throat are blackish, while belly, tail, and rump are white. Could be confused with Cassin’s Spinetail, but Sabine’s Spinetail’s tail extends out beyond the wings, giving it a typical swift appearance. Call is a high-pitched twitter.