Sooty Tit

A large brown bunting of open environments, from forest edges and clearings to hillsides and agricultural land. Breeding male is very handsome, warm brown overall with a bright white cheek patch and crown; listen for his buzzy song in the summer. Breeding female has largely white underparts and a dirtier white ear with a gray cast on her back. Wintering adults are darker and streakier, but retain the head patterning. Immature birds can be confusing, as they lack the large white cheek patch, and may be confused with Rustic Bunting; look out for a weaker crest, faint streaking on the belly, and a gray ear patch with a white dot near the end. Hybridizes frequently with Yellowhammer where ranges overlap, and nonbreeding adults can look very similar; note absence of any yellow tones. Often gathers in flocks outside of the breeding season, sometimes with other species.

Medium-sized, fairly common chickenlike marsh bird found in meadows, ditches, riversides, marshes, as well as parks and farmlands in close proximity to humans; often seen foraging in the open. Adults are dark slaty above and white below, with a rusty patch under the tail. Juvenile similar but duller in color. Remarkably variable song is a series of hooting, grunting, or rasping notes or phrases, repeated monotonously, often from an exposed perch.

A medium-sized, long-tailed bird of primary and secondary forest from the lowlands to the mountains on Luzon and Catanduanes. Dull blue on the head, chest, back, and shoulder, with some paler blue streaking on the chest and crown. Has a buff belly and rufous lower back, rump, outer tail feathers, and wing, with dark central tail feathers and a dark edge to the wing. Tail often cocked and fanned while foraging. Similar to Black-naped Monarch, but has a rufous rump and tail. Voice consists of single sharp “pik!” notes given at intervals or sped up into a rapid series.