Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat

Cute cloud forest hummingbird, and tiny except for male’s long tail. He is easy to recognize by his rackets and white leg puffs. Female lacks the long tail and rackets, and her white breast and whisker mark help to ID her. She looks similar to female Purple-bibbed Whitetip but has a shorter bill, clear breast, and a white spot (not a line) behind the eye. May overlap with Peruvian Racket-tail in the eastern Andes of southern Colombia; note the white (not buffy) boots in both sexes, and female’s clean, unmarked breast. Often seen feeding on small flowers at forest edge and in clearings, and common at feeders in some areas.

One of a number of confusingly similar blue flycatchers. Male is brilliant blue above with orange throat and breast; note off-white lower belly. His dark orange throat distinguishes him from Blue-throated Blue Flycatcher. Female is drab brown with an orange chest, white belly, and dull rufous tail. Note weak orangish eyering, dull tannish throat, and overall warm brown coloration. Brown flanks in both sexes. Breeds in montane and hilly forest, typically in areas with dense undergrowth; winters at lower altitudes. Musical song is composed of trills and whistles; calls are a hard “tak” or “chek.”

A medium-sized warm brown reed warbler with a thin straight bill and very rounded wings. Head, shoulders, and back are rufous tinted. Shows a strong pale eyebrow. Found in gardens, coastal scrub, and escarpment forest. Voice little known, but song apparently melodious and thrush-like.