Cachar Bulbul

A small, compact lark with a small bill and a bold facial pattern with a distinct eyebrow. It has streaky upperparts with a distinct rufous wing panel and a lightly streaked buffy chest that separates the white throat from the creamy-buff belly. Pairs prefer lush grassland with vegetation shorter than 50 centimeters tall and with open spaces between the tussocks. From September to March, breeding males undertake lengthy aerial displays lasting 30-40 minutes, hanging still in the air before dropping and dangling stationary again, singing all the while. The song is made up of melodious whistles and trills, and buzzy notes, sometimes organized into series or repeating phrases, and incorporating a phenomenal repertoire of imitations of other birds. The similar Monotonous Lark is larger than the Latakoo Lark, with a plainer facial pattern, a less distinct eyebrow, and a different song and display.

Brown babbler with a finely streaked back and crown. Also note bright yellow eyes and faint pale “moustache.” Social, usually encountered in flocks as they clamber about in lowland reedbeds, wet grassy areas, and scrub. Gives sparrow-like “chirrup” and sharp “pee-cheer.”

Nondescript, long-tailed, long-billed wetland warbler. There is a white eyebrow and dark spotting on the throat and breast. Found very locally in high-elevation marshes of the Albertine Rift. Fairly secretive, but will perch up to sing. The song is a dry trill preceded by a couple of “chyet” notes. Very similar to Little Rush-Warbler, but has a bolder white eyebrow, dark chest spotting, and a very different song. The variably streaked breast separates it from reed warblers.