Geelvink Cicadabird

A grayish bushshrike with green wings and tail and a unique head pattern: the black mask curls down to form a narrow black breast band surrounding the white throat. Some morphs have a purple dot at the base of the throat. Juvenile has less distinct face pattern than adult. A rare resident, restricted to a handful of sites in the Cameroon-Nigeria highlands, where it is found singly and in pairs in the canopy of primary hill forest between 930 and 1550 meters of elevation. Calls include an electric grating “cha-cha-cha-chggrrt-chggrrt-chggrrt” like a laser-gun sound effect in a computer game, as well as harsh croaking, whistles, and ticks. May snap wings when agitated. 

Unique smoky-gray gull with red bill. Breeding adults have a clean white head that blends seamlessly into the gray neck; nonbreeding adults have smudgy dark streaking on the head. Immatures are entirely dark brown with a yellowish or reddish bill with a dark tip. Almost exclusively coastal; usually seen in flocks loafing on beaches or feeding in nearshore waters. Breeds in Mexico mainly in the Gulf of California; migrates as far north as Washington and British Columbia in winter. Overall dark plumage of immatures might recall a dark-morph jaeger; note Heermann's lacks pale wing flashes and never shows pale mottling on the belly or underwings.

Males are bright yellow overall save for the black wings and inner tail feathers. Note the yellow patch on the wings, the yellow outer tail feathers, the black stripe through the eye that gives it a masked appearance, and the fleshy pink bill. The female is dull greenish-yellow overall with dirty brown/green wings and a completely yellowish tail. Both males and females have red iris. Most often found feeding in tree canopies either singly or in pairs. They generally give a harsh “krrrrrrrrrrrr” call while feeding. In flight, note its characteristic dipping flight style.