Carruthers's Cisticola

Common and conspicuous, this flashy, long-tailed crow relative is unmistakable, and its loud chattering calls are a familiar sound in many areas. Found in open and semiopen areas from farmland and open woodland to towns and gardens, singly or more often in pairs or groups. Bulky stick nest often conspicuous in tall tree or hedgerow. Boldly pied plumage is distinctive, with white belly, white back, and white wing patches. Wings show blue-green gloss in good light.

Stunning antbird, small and boldly patterned. Rotund and short-tailed. Male has white belly with band of black spots across chest, gray head, and rufous back. Female more washed out, but similar pattern. Usually seen singly or in pairs in understory of forest, often following a mixed flock or army ant swarm. Stuttered song is a series of slightly wheezy whistles, descending in pitch.

Plump, medium-sized shorebird with very long bill. Extremely similar to Short-billed Dowitcher, and often flocks with it. Best distinguished by voice: a sharp, high-pitched “keek!” note, sometimes given in a series, unlike lower-pitched “tu-tu-tu” call of Short-billed. At all ages, look for subtle structural differences: Long-billed averages more hunch-backed, slightly longer-billed, and slightly taller, especially noticeable when in a mixed flock. Breeding birds have solidly salmon-orange underparts and rather dark upperparts with narrow rufous edges and white tips. Also look for sparse barring on the sides contrasting with denser spotting on the neck. Nonbreeding plumage is brownish-gray overall with a paler belly; extremely similar to Short-billed but averaging slightly darker and less patterned, especially on the breast and sides. Juveniles are easiest to identify: generally duller than Short-billed; look for plain dark-centered tertials and scapulars with narrow edging, rarely with some blurry internal markings. Breeds on tundra in high Arctic, and can be found in a variety of wetland habitats in migration and winter. Usually in flocks, feeding actively like a sewing machine. Tends to favor shallow marshy pools; somewhat more likely in freshwater habitats than Short-billed, but much overlap.