Australian Swiftlet

A large, robust bushshrike with a chunky hook-tipped bill, a bright yellow eye, and a massive gray head with a small pale patch in front of the eye. Singles and pairs inhabit arid thornveld, broadleaf woodland, riverine forest, and thickets, seldom joining flocks. The species forages slowly and deliberately, hopping along branches diligently searching for large insects and small vertebrates. A low-pitched, extended sorrowful “whhooooooo” song is given up to 50 times in succession, along with other harsh clicks and rasps. Other similar large bushshrikes are rainforest specialists and have more pale in front of the eye.

A small blue-and-orange kingfisher with a bright waxy orange bill, ginger underparts, a white throat, and blue upperparts with a bright white neck spot. Female has a bright orange, not blue, head with a blue crown. Found in forest habitats, not necessarily near water, tolerating plantations and degraded forest. No other dwarf-kingfisher shares its range. Told from Common Kingfisher by smaller size and entirely red bill. Call apparently nearly identical that of other Melanesian dwarf-kingfishers: a high-pitched, weak repetitive whistle, often given in flight.

Handsome swallow restricted to relatively dry regions of western Ecuador and western Peru. Plumage is blue and white with chestnut collar, breast band, sides, rump, and forehead. Similar to Cliff Swallow, which is a rare migrant within the range of Chestnut-collared, but note the chestnut breast band and lack of white on the forehead. Most often encountered around cities and towns, where it nests colonially in the eaves of buildings.