Unicolored Tapaculo

A large fruit dove of forest on islands. Distinctive looking with gray neck and chest, dark red cap, and orange belly with white chest band. Travels in small flocks in search of fruiting trees in which it forages actively. Similar to Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove, although the race that coincides has no rose-crown. Wallace’s Fruit-Dove differs in having an obvious white chest band. Typical of fruit doves, it leans forward and puffs out its chest when vocalizing. Call, a descending “wooo”.

Skulking warbler typically found in marshes, moist grassland, and edge of swampy forest. Male is quite distinctive with his black bandit mask and gray crown. Female can be confusing, but her yellow throat usually stands out against her olive upperparts and sides. Song is a rich up-and-down series of whistles. Calls include a descending series of chip notes and a short rasp. Pairs usually stay well hidden, but males sometimes sing from an exposed perch. This species is at least partially migratory. In the southern part of its range it is present only in the austral summer, when it breeds, then moves north in the winter. In some parts of its range it can be seen year-round. Formerly considered a subspecies of Masked Yellowthroat.

A small, dumpy endearing chat. The color varies from pale gray-brown to nearly white, with a very pale rump that extends onto the outer tail feathers to form a distinctive V-shaped black wedge in the tail. Pairs prefer open flat plains in the Karoo and Namib, prospering in the most barren environments where few other birds persist. In Namibia, the similar race of Karoo Chat is longer-tailed, avoids hyper-arid barren environments, and has a distinctive dark tail with white outer tail feathers that reach the tail tip.