Ash-throated Casiornis

Common and familiar bird of southern South America, found in town parks, gardens, woodlands, forests, matorral, and other semiopen habitats, usually in areas with taller trees nearby. Feeds mainly on the ground, often on lawns, and also in fruiting bushes and trees. Fall and winter flocks can number the hundreds. Plumage is not very colorful, but bright yellow bill is often striking. Male has a blacker head and darker upperparts than the female. Juvenile has a duller bill with dark spotting on underparts.

This distinctive sparrow is common in open montane woodland usually dominated by pine. Primarily a Mexican species, barely enters U.S. Much like Gray-headed and Red-backed subspecies of Dark-eyed Junco but with staring yellow eye and rufous back usually extending onto wings. Otherwise pale gray, darkest around the eye. Bill half black, half yellow. White outer tail feathers like Dark-eyed Junco. Forages on the ground, but perches higher when singing. Song has a similar ringing tone to Dark-eyed Junco, but usually with several distinct sections of chips and trills.

Supreme understory skulker in montane forest, resembling a hybrid between a thrush and babbler. A dull and dowdy understory specialist with brown-olive upperparts and boldly-streaked cream-yellow underparts. Immature is more uniformly olive. Singles or pairs are highly localized residents working the leaf-litter in rich wet undergrowth of Eastern Arc montane forest, between 900–1800m, especially close to streams; shy and hops or runs quickly across forest-floor, seldom permitting absorbing looks. Vocalizations are variable, but most frequently utters a rich and fluty song “we-lu-we-lu-wel’li-lu” and sweet bulbul-like chattering calls. The Dapple-throat resembles immature robin-chats or thrushes, but lacks spotting and scaling on the upperparts.