Yellow-bellied Prinia

Small shy warbler. Dull brown with a paler belly and brow stripe. Like most bush-warblers, difficult to see as it moves through dense foliage. Listen for its sweet song, consisting of a few introductory notes followed by two long whistles: “ti-ti-tchew weeeeee-cheeeeee’. Visually very difficult to separate from Yellowish-bellied Bush Warbler and Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler, and differences are extremely subtle. Himalayan breeders average more greenish on the back than either of the other two species, and have a strong yellow wash on the belly; Brownish-flanked, with which Aberrant overlaps in the eastern Himalayas, is much browner overall. In central China, Aberrant overlaps with Yellowish-bellied, which has a pale gray throat instead of a yellowish-buff one. Aberrant breeds in shrubby edge, bamboo stands, and open bushy areas in montane and hill areas; upper altitudinal limit averages higher than both Yellowish-bellied and Brownish-flanked.

Pale medium-sized tern with a geographically variable bill pattern: black with a distinct yellow tip in most of its range; entirely yellow in the Caribbean and parts of South America. Shows a shaggy black cap in breeding plumage; nonbreeding birds develop white forehead. Strictly coastal; most commonly found on beaches and estuaries, often mixed with flocks of other terns. Harsh grating calls similar to other terns.

More of a soft blush than a burning flame, the red patch on the male’s face is nonetheless unique. The female lacks the red patch, but is still distinctive in her size, small sharp bill, and pale wingbars. Both sexes are yellow above and pale gray below, with the male being more predominantly yellow than the female. Found in montane broadleaf forest at middle to high elevations, sometimes mixed in with other species; some populations descend to lower foothills and lowlands in the winter. Song is an undulating series of twitters, chips, and trills; also twitters and trills when flocking.