Small Blue Kingfisher

A medium-sized bird of lowland and foothill forest canopy. Black upperparts with white in the wing and a white rump in the male, white underparts with barring in the female. Limited geographical overlap with White-winged triller, but should be separated by habitat, with Black-browed in forest rather than open habitats. Voice includes various whistles, chips and a musical, rolling chatter.

Heavily patterned terrestrial bird of eastern Australia. Both sexes have black spots on flanks, gray breast and head, long pale eyebrow. Male has black throat and white neck patch bordered in bllack, female a pale buff-colored throat. Wanders around on rocky hillsides and ridges with open forest and plenty of leaf litter and rocks. Fairly unobtrusive, but sometimes sings from a low perch. Calls include a long, very high-pitched "seeeeeep” and a long sequence of doubled whistles.

Small and rotund with intricate brown, black, and white patterning. Some striking variation in plumage across range. Most males, including those in the eastern U.S., have bold black and white head pattern and heavy white spotting on belly. In Mexico, males can be entirely cinnamon-colored below and have a fully black head; some might have a white eyebrow or a dark chest band. Females are more consistent throughout range: look for buffy throat and eyebrow. Pairs or small groups are found in scrubby fields and brushy woods. Usually on the ground, but occasionally perches in trees when singing. The only quail native to the eastern U.S., where populations are declining sharply. Listen for distinctive “bob-WHITE!” whistle.