Golden-winged Laughingthrush

Elegant, long-tailed bird with a brownish back, pale underparts, and a black chest band. White outer tail is conspicuous in flight. Found in most open habitats, especially those near water. Feeds by walking along the ground, bobbing its tail constantly. Call is a buzzy “tseeei” that is often doubled. Song is a complex jumble of different repeated notes. Similar to Mountain Wagtail but has brown rather than gray upperparts, and Cape has less white in the wings and tail. Also similar to juvenile African Pied Wagtail but lacks a white panel in the wing.

A distinctive medium-sized yellow bird with a black head and breast, black flight feathers, and a red bill. In flight, the black band towards the tail tip is visible. Juvenile is duller overall with a white streaked throat and a darker bill. Often feeds on fruiting trees with a preference for figs in wooded gardens, groves, and open forests. The song is rich, fluty, and mellow. Calls include raspy, nasal notes that can sound like a croak.

A distinctive, richly colored babbler-like skulker with a rufous spotted breast on otherwise whitish underparts. Geographically upperparts vary from rusty to olivaceous. Immature has a paler bill and rustier upperparts than the adult. Pairs are secretive residents in thickets, riparian forest, and dense woodland, especially near streams, foraging close to the ground. Populations are locally common but scattered widely across Africa. Often first detected by its rich melodious song, a fluid oriole-like “whoh-tyaw-li”, with the female sometimes joining in duet.