Black-and-white Monjita

Drab and unremarkable flycatcher found in the eastern foothills of the Andes in Ecuador and northern Peru. Note grayish-olive upperparts, dingy white underparts, yellow tinge to the belly, and pale wingbars. Yellow crown stripe is usually concealed. Habitat is a good ID clue: it perches low in grassy clearings with scattered bushes and small trees, and never ventures inside forest. Call is an inflected whistle repeated every few seconds, and song is a short, rising trill.

Drab hummingbird with a white tipped tail found in northern South America, ranging west as far as eastern Colombia. Like other hermits, it has a dark mask bordered by buffy stripes and a long bill. The blurry dark streaks on its throat and breast help to separate it from other similar species. These streaks are variable, and on adult males they nearly form a solid dark patch, but females and young birds may only show a few small blotches. Found in a variety of habitats including seasonally flooded rainforest along the Amazon and drier and scrubbier forest in hilly terrain. Uncommon to rare in most of its range.

A fairly small bustard of thick brush in dry country. The male has a buff crest that is usually hidden, and both sexes have a black belly. Found in dry savanna and thornscrub habitat with lots of bushes, unlike most bustards, which prefer grass-dominated habitats. Similar to Black-bellied and Hartlaub’s Bustards, but smaller, and prefers different habitats. Larger than Little Brown Bustard, with a black belly. The call is a rising and accelerating series of distressed-sounding notes that often precede the display: a quick flight up, then a plummet to the ground.