Hill Prinia

Medium-sized sluggish flycatcher of riverine and disturbed habitats. Key marks are entirely cinnamon plumage and large-headed, plain-faced appearance; bill seems heavy and is entirely black. Sits still, peering about, before sallying to foliage for insects. Inhabits mid-story and understory, often at forest edge. Found in forest along rivers and oxbow lakes, in abandoned plantations, and at savanna edges, usually near water. Similar to Dull-capped Attila but has dark eyes and different voice. Most common calls are various mournful whistles.

Small and fairly bright antpitta found in subtropics from Venezuela to extreme northern Peru. Typical antpitta shape, but smaller: plump and short-tailed with long legs. Warm tawny below and duller brown above with contrasting gray crown. Messy buffy face and eyering. Breast usually looks somewhat scalloped. Sexes similar. Shy and difficult to see; stays on or near the ground in montane forest, usually within bamboo thickets. More arboreal than the larger antpittas; often seen perched several feet off the ground. Listen for song, a descending series of high-pitched whistles “pi-pi-pi-pi-pi-pi-pi-pi-pi-pi-pi.” Disjunct population on tepuis of Venezuela and Guyana possibly a separate species.

A rather small, demure understory denizen resembling a cross between a robin and a flycatcher. Mostly dull brownish-olive with a rusty rump and tail, a paler throat, and a distinctive pale patch between the eye and bill. In display, may reveal a rufous spot near the eye. Juvenile is more mottled. A local and endangered bird found singly and in pairs in thick undergrowth of primary and secondary montane forest in a narrow range along the West Usambara mountains between 1600 and 2300 meters of elevation. Sits for long periods, sallying to catch insect prey, or forages on the ground, often in the company of ants and other ant-following birds. Sings a medley of up-and-down high-pitched whistles that is sweet without being tuneful. Alarm call is a grating “drrrzzt, drrrt, drrrt.” May be mistaken for a flycatcher, but its furtive nature and preference for thick understory are unique within its range.