Chestnut-bellied Chat-Tyrant

Rare and endangered parrot restricted to high elevations in the central Andes of Colombia. Plumage is golden green with a sapphire crown; the blue and red in the wings and tail are usually evident when perched, and can be more striking when seen in flight. Usually encountered in groups of several to a dozen birds that fly from fruiting tree to fruiting tree in compact flocks. Formerly very difficult to find, but in recent years it has been reliably encountered along dirt roads high above the town of Santa Rosa de Cabal.

A small, compact lark with dark brown upperparts that appear scaly in fresh plumage, a streaked crown that can be raised as a crest, an indistinct tawny eyebrow, a striking pale throat, and a pale belly with dark breast streaks. The bill is bicolored: pale below with a dark ridge on the upper mandible. The tail is mostly dark with white outer feathers that are conspicuous in flight. Movements of this very localized lark are poorly known, but small groups are probably partial migrants and nomads in dense grassland with scattered bush; likely often goes undetected when not singing. Best identification feature is the diagnostic song, a single-note strident loud up-and-down “wheeeeoooo” whistle, repeated incessantly every two seconds for minutes at a time.

A large bulbul with a short brown crest, a gray face, a white throat, a greenish-brown back, and a dirty yellow breast and belly. Found at low and middle elevations in primary and secondary forests and forest edges, as well as in overgrown plantations and gardens. Loud, variable song is a cheery and repetitive stream of various notes, including musical “chew” notes and rougher scolds and rattles. Crest is short and weak, separating it from White-throated and Ochraceous Bulbuls. Brown cap and duller underparts separate this species from Yellow-bellied Bulbul.