White-bibbed Manakin

A small, sharp-billed warbler-like bird. Note the yellow underparts and the narrow white spectacles around the eyes. Found in montane heath on Mount Karthala on Grand Comoro. Usually in hyperactive flocks. Very similar to Kirk’s White-eye, and they overlap at the lower reaches of the montane heath zone. Comoro White-eye is separated by being slightly larger and duller olive-green overall, especially on the underparts and above the bill, and most importantly by the narrower white eye-ring. Song is a quiet, chatty sequence of low “chew” notes. Calls include rattling notes and high-pitched whistles. 

Distinctive bird found in varied wooded and semiopen habitats, from town gardens to meadows and bogs in Andean foothills. Often seen perched on roadside wires. Generally sluggish—like an avian sloth. Feeds on new leaves, flowers, and often cuts grass on lawns! Handsome male is striking, with bright rusty underparts, white wing patches, and ruby-red eyes. Female is much plainer with streaked underparts and ruby-red eyes. Rufous band on base of tail is often hard to see.

A bulky, iridescent bird clad in deep purple, blue, green, and olive washed with pink. It clambers acrobatically through riverine woodland and savanna thickets. In flight it explodes from the canopy with distinctive deep red panels in the wings. It produces a distinctive croaking “khoh-khoh-khoh-khoh….” that gets progressively louder before suddenly stopping. The similar Ross’s Turaco differs from Purple-crested Turaco by being darker overall and having a red crest and yellow face.