Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Weaver

A tiny, long-billed bird of forest understory. Brown above and white below with a black crescent across the chest. Note striking facial pattern with white eyebrow and black malar mark. General impression is wren-like with long bill, contrasting eyebrow, and tail usually held cocked. Difficult to see well, as it tends to remain in dense understory growth around treefalls and other gaps in tall rainforest, where it is locally distributed and never common. Usually seen alone or in pairs. Song is a long, descending whistle, repeated at roughly three-second intervals, very similar in tone and pace to second note of Tawny-crowned Greenlet’s song. Harsh scolding note is perhaps the best giveaway to this species’s presence. Generally unmistakable given a decent view; in silhouette could be confused with Long-billed Gnatwren but has much stronger face pattern and is usually confined to dense undergrowth rather than the vine tangles inhabited by Long-billed.

A uniquely-marked little Furnariid. Very uncommon in restricted range on the west slope of the Andes in Colombia and Ecuador. Mostly bright orange-rufous with a dazzling white throat that bleeds down into bold speckles on upper breast. Singles or pairs forage with mixed-species flocks, usually hitching along mossy branches in the middle to upper levels. Occurs in humid mossy forest from around 1,200–2,200 m, typically at lower elevations than Pearled Treerunner.

Medium-sized black crow with a relatively long, slightly decurved bill. Plumage has an iridescent dark blue sheen when seen up close. Due to absence of generally more adaptable Large-billed Crow on Sulawesi, this species can be found in both intact lowland forest as well as somewhat more degraded and fragmented habitats. Often encountered as pairs or small flocks in rowing flight over roads, rivers, and clearings. Gives loud nasal caws, often with a rather dry quality. Formerly treated as part of a more generic “Slender-billed Crow” that ranged from the Philippines to Sulawesi.