Buff-throated Purpletuft

A medium-sized yellowish-olive bird with a long tail that is often flipped up and down. Endemic to the remote island of Rodrigues. Found in secondary forest, scrub, and plantations. Feeds both in the undergrowth and up into the canopy. The cheerful song is a quick series of several musical warbling notes in an up-and-down pattern. The calls include “chek” notes and rattling scolds. There are no other warblers or otherwise similar species on Rodrigues, so identification is simple. 

A small, sharp-billed warbler-like bird. Note the yellow patches on the throat and undertail and the bold white spectacles around the eye. Common on the island of Moheli in the Comoros in habitats with woody vegetation, including remnant forest patches, plantations, woodland, scrub, and gardens. Usually found in hyperactive flocks. The most common calls are a high-pitched, rising rattle and a descending “chew” note, which is also the main component of the quiet, chatty song. In its small range, easily identified by the white spectacles. 

A small dark blue-black swallow with rufous-chestnut on its face and a short tail. Except for a black triangular eye-stripe extending to the bill, the entire forehead, chin, throat, and upper breast are rufous-chestnut, without any dark necklace like that of Barn Swallow, the main confusion species. Hill Swallow’s dark upperparts have a blue-green sheen that is only visible when seen up close, while the underparts are dingy white with ashy-gray on the flanks. Juveniles have duller chestnut on the face. Mainly inhabits open areas such as grasslands, reservoirs, and tea estates in the high hills above 500 meters of elevation; very rare at lower elevations. Often seen wheeling and looping in the air after insects, with a swift flight action reminiscent of a Barn Swallow with a shorter tail.