Dwarf Cuckoo
Coccycua pumila
Small cuckoo restricted to northern South America. Unlikely to be confused within its range, with gray upperparts and rufous throat and breast contrasting with white belly. Also note red eye. Usually seen singly or in pairs in scrubby second-growth or open forest edges. Like most cuckoos, generally unobtrusive.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Coccycua pumila
- Authority
- (Strickland, 1852)
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Family
- Cuculidae
- Genus
- Coccycua
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds

Modest Tiger-Parrot
Psittacella modesta
A small, compact parrot of mid and high montane forest edge. Green body with brown hood and chest. Males of one race have a yellow hind collar. Inconspicuous and most easily found at fruiting trees. Similar to Madarasz's Tiger-Parrot, but where they co-occur, Modest Tiger-Parrot is usually at higher elevations. Males are very similar but Modest has a darker head with less spotting. Female Modest has a brown head and strongly barred chest. Call, a nasal upslurred “chuuit!” similar to Brehm’s Tiger-Parrot, or a high-low-middle slurred “chii-oo-wii!

Dusky Spinetail
Synallaxis moesta
An exceptionally shy spinetail found in cloud forest along the east slope of the Andes, ranging into lowland forest in some areas. Plumage is dark gray with a black throat and chestnut crown, wings, and tail. In central Colombia, birds are somewhat paler. Inhabits dense tangles in forest understory, where it is very hard to see. Usually first detected by its song, a low, guttural trill.

Tuamotu Sandpiper
Prosobonia parvirostris
A small, very dark brown shorebird with a very short thin bill and a distinct white eyebrow. Upperparts spotted with buff, underside spotted or barred with brown. Legs yellow or grayish. In flight, looks very dark with very rounded wings. Prefers coastal shoreline and bare gravel of tiny atolls. Combination of odd proportions, very short thin bill, and white eyebrow should make this species unmistakable. Most common call is a nasal “kek,” but when excited gives a loud piping whistle and a series of rising and falling trills.
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