Golden-throated Barbet

Unusual and pretty member of the waxbill family. Shows fine olive-green barring below, yellow edges to the wing feathers, and red on the tail. Generally scarce and inconspicuous. Found in the understory of moist habitats, including miombo and other lush woodland, and in forest edge. Usually seen singly or in pairs. Calls include inconspicuous “tew”, “tip”, and rasping notes. Similar to Green-winged Pytilia but found in moister habitats and separated by finer barring below, yellow wing edges, and different pattern of red on the face of the males.

Rare and declining endemic of Sumatra’s northwestern mountains. Large grayish-brown bulbul with a bright orange forehead patch, dark olive wings, and a weak crest that gives it a pointy-headed profile. Once regarded as a subspecies of the very similar Orange-spotted Bulbul, but note present species’ distribution and dark (not white) belly. Inhabits foothill and lower montane forests, where localized and largely restricted to clearings with a substantial understory. Calls are generally similar to those of Orange-spotted Bulbul, and include a bubbly chatter.

A pallid, medium-sized bird of dry scrub and desert; also agricultural land, towns, and gardens. Native to northern Africa and the southwestern Arabian Peninsiula; established in Puerto Rico and New Zealand, but also found in pockets across North America. Compare with Eurasian Collared-Dove, which also has a black collar on the hindneck; note that Eurasian Collared-Doves are generally darker overall, have more extensive black at the base of the undertail, and the primaries are distinctly darker than the remainder of the wing. In flight, Eurasian Collared-Doves have a tricolored pattern to the upperwing rather than the somewhat uniform appearance of African Collared-Doves. Song is “oo-rrroooo-oooo,” loudest at start, than trailing off.