Drab-breasted Pygmy-Tyrant

Highly social inhabitant of lowland forests, unlike any other tit in both size and coloration; coal-black with a bright yellow belly and sharply upswept crest. Closer in size to a medium-sized bulbul than to a Japanese or Coal Tit. Tends to stick to the canopy, where it readily associates with other species in mixed flocks. Very vocal, often giving squeaky, shrill calls. Song consists of repeated high-pitched whistles, sometimes with an inflected quality.

Long-tailed with long, slender bill that is sharply downcurved. Drab grayish-brown without any markings. Paler on throat; warmer orangey color on belly. Often hard to see when lurking in dense shrubs. Sings from prominent perches. Song is seemingly endless and complex. Forages primarily on the ground. Range restricted to dense brush and woodland in California and Baja California.

A small, dumpy, buff-brownish flycatcher with a pale throat, a short eyebrow in front of the eye, a mostly plain crown, and indistinct mottling on the breast. It prefers thicker woodland and the edges of evergreen and riverine forest, perching at lower and middle levels and sallying to catch insects, or occasionally sitting on the ground. High-pitched “tzeet” and “tsirit” calls often betray its presence. The similar migrant Spotted Flycatcher has a longer tail and wings than the African Dusky Flycatcher, and it also has distinct streaking on the crown. The Gambaga Flycatcher is paler and mostly restricted to arid woodland.