Rio Madeira Stipplethroat

Fairly large dark nightjar of woodland, edge, and adjacent clearings in northeast Mexico. Hunts mainly from perches at forest edge, sometimes even on fence posts in rather open areas. Cryptic plumage similar to other nightjars; both sexes have rusty collar on hindneck. Male has white tail corners. Female has narrower, pale buffy tail corners. Best detected and identified by voice: a slightly burry, 2-syllable "chi-wihw," repeated. Note similar Eastern Whip-poor-will, a winter migrant, in same areas.

Tiny, plump gray-and-brown bird that looks almost tailless. Males are ashy gray with warm reddish brown on their back half; females are similar, with the warm reddish brown extending farther up the back to the crown. Forages singly or in pairs low in dense vegetation in stunted elfin forest and humid shrubby grassland at high elevations, at and above the treeline; often found in Polylepis groves. A bit less shy than most tapaculos, but still heard far more often than seen. Its song is a single squeaky “tcheur” note, repeated at a steady pace of about 1-2 notes per second in a long series.

Small yellowish bird; note bold wingbars and face pattern with short pale eyebrow and arc under the eye. Yellow underparts sometimes bright, sometimes paler whitish, but always some yellow tones. Could be mistaken for a tyrannulet but note thicker bill and more horizontal posture. Usually seen singly or in pairs, following a mixed-species flock through forest, edge, and second growth. Found at relatively high elevations in its limited range. Song is a slow series of short phrases, like a squeaky Yellow-throated Vireo.