Ash-breasted Antbird

Endangered stork of expansive wetlands and fields in East Asia. Adult white with sharply contrasting black flight feathers, black bill, and red legs; juvenile similar but orange-billed. Compare very different Siberian Crane, with shorter bill, black restricted to outer portion of wing. Stately, elegant bird in flight and on ground, where it forages for grain, fruit, invertebrates, and small animals. Breeding display involves loud clattering of bills, but typically silent.

Small songbird, a member of the Arctic Warbler complex, this species looks essentially identical to Arctic Warbler and Kamchatka Leaf Warbler but is more evenly yellowish. Normally only distinguished in the field by breeding range and song: breeds in forests on all of the main Japanese islands except Hokkaido, where it is replaced in summer by Kamchatka Leaf Warbler. Favors foothill to montane areas with dense brushy understory; can be found in more open wooded habitats in migration and on wintering grounds. Song resembles that of Arctic in general pitch and register but is less uniform, like a more rising and falling version of Arctic’s song. Call also similar but averages lower in pitch.

Glossy large-billed drongo with glossy blue-sheened wings and tail. Also note bright red eyes, iridescent speckling around the throat and neck, and flared broad-tipped tail. Endemic to Sumatra, where it is the only regularly-occurring “Hair-crested type” drongo, a group which has undergone extensive taxonomic changes recently; some older field guides may refer to this taxa as either Hair-crested or Spangled Drongo. Inhabits foothill forests, where it often associates with mixed flocks in the upper and middle levels of forest. Can be a source of confusion with other drongos, such as Black, Lesser Racket-tailed, Bronzed, and Crow-billed, but note habitat, distinctive tail shape, and flat-headed profile. Gives a variety of vocalizations, including bright fluty whistles and harsh chattering.