White-collared Blackbird

Tiny, compact, dark bittern. Slate-gray on the upperparts and pale on the underparts, which have thick dark streaks. Found in heavily vegetated wetland habitats, including ponds, swamps, and sometimes mangroves. Uncommon, shy, and secretive. Call is a short series of low “hraw” notes. Somewhat similar to Striated Heron, but smaller, shorter- and thicker-necked, and darker on the back.

A dark, bulky, powerful, high-flying swift with a distinctly white throat patch and a contrasting grayish panel in the inner wing. It is resident in the northern part of its range and breeding migrant in South Africa. Masters of the air, foraging birds fly fast and can cover 1000 km/day, they gather at termite emergences and fires in order to hawk insects. The African Swift has a high-pitched screaming “zzzzzzzzzZZZZTTT” call. The similar Common Swift differs from African Swift by having a smaller throat patch and lacking a pale panel in the wing. Nyanza Swift is browner than African Swift and has a paler wing panel in the inner wing.

Massive seabird of warm tropical oceans and coastlines. Overall black with extremely long, deeply forked tail and angular wings. Male completely black with inflatable red pouch on throat (not seen away from breeding colonies) and bluish eyering. In good light, black coloration can show purplish sheen. Adult female has white chest and golden bar on shoulder. Young birds have white head and breast. Often soars for long periods and flies with slow wingbeats. Steals food from other seabirds. Surprisingly acrobatic during aerial chases despite its large size. Limited range overlap with Great Frigatebird (mainly offshore western Mexico and in the Galapagos); identification is complicated by age and sex variation. Adult males are extremely similar; females and immatures best identified by exact pattern of white on head and breast, bill color, and eyering color.