Fiji Shrikebill

Small hummingbird found in dry, scrubby regions of the Andes; also in coastal deserts in Peru. Male has a glittering blue throat bordered below by purple. Female lacks this and has a rusty wash on white underparts; the extent of this rusty color varies between individuals. Also note slightly curved bill. Male performs swooping U-shaped display flights, alternately giving high-pitched twitters and low-pitched mechanical sounds while doing so. Not known to visit feeders.

A boldly marked thrush-like bird with a brown back, a rufous tail, and white underparts heavily spotted with black. Found in areas of dense undergrowth within savanna, woodland, and scrub habitats. A fairly shy species that feeds on the ground, though it can sometimes be tame around lodges. Somewhat similar to scrub-robins, but easily separated by the lack of white in the wings and tail. Most easily detected by song: a rollicking, musical, whistled combination of repeated notes and short repeated phrases that can also incorporate imitations of other species and is often given as a duet by a pair. 

Visually indistinguishable from Oriental Cuckoo. Adult male is gray above with a black-and-white-barred belly and a dark gray tail; females usually look similar, but some (known as hepatic morph birds) have cinnamon-brown upperparts with black barring throughout. Intermediate in size between Common and Lesser Cuckoos; distinguished from both species by buffy (not white) under-tail feathers and from Lesser Cuckoos by yellow iris. Song is a series of five notes, with the leading note being sharper and more distinct than the four that follow; compare with Oriental Cuckoo’s series of mellow paired notes. Breeds in a wide range of different lowland and hill forests; also more open habitats outside of breeding season.