Nicobar Serpent-Eagle

Brightly colored, terrestrial songbird with upright posture found in arid stony plains of central Australia. Grayish brown above, yellow below, with yellow face and notably pale eye (Yellow Chat male has a completely yellow head). In flight, back is the same tone as wings and tail (Yellow Chat has yellow uppertail).

This remarkable flycatcher occurs in both rufous and white morphs, but it always has grayish underparts and a strong crest. The breeding male has ludicrous central tail feathers, twenty centimeters long, that trail like the ribbon of a rhythmic gymnast, while the female lacks the tail streamers and has a smaller crest. Singles and pairs occasionally join flocks in open woodland, riverine forest, and thickets, avoiding lowland evergreen forest. Very vocal, often giving a repeated grating “dzee-zwee” call and a sweet melodic “willie-willie-willie-wee-wooo” song. The very similar Rufous-vented Paradise-Flycatcher differs from African Paradise-Flycatcher by having a rufous undertail and a shorter crest.

Striking, medium-size hummingbird of dry tropical lowlands. Favors scrubby woodland and edge, gardens, semi-open areas with flowering trees. Wholly cinnamon-colored underparts distinctive; also note the bright red bill, tipped black (red less extensive on immatures). If seen only from behind, can be confused with Buff-bellied and Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds, both of which show a green throat and chest when seen from the side or front.