Black-masked Finch

Dainty blue flycatcher with a habit of flicking and spreading its tail. Sky-blue male’s pale belly distinguishes him from male Nilgiri Flycatcher. Brown female has a gray head, an orange throat and chest, and a rufous tail; pale lores and dark irises give her a large-eyed appearance. Similar female Blue-throated Flycatcher lacks pale lores and instead has a paler orange chest, smaller bill, and weaker contrast between the head and back. White-bellied inhabits dense foothill forests, joining mixed-species flocks in the winter. Song is a high and quiet series of whistled and slurred notes, often given irregularly. Calls are hard rattling bursts of notes.

A mysterious medium-sized rail, possibly of foothill or montane grassy areas and forests. Dark brown above with a pale gray chest, a whitish throat, a barred belly, blackish legs, and a fairly long, curved reddish bill. Little known in life and mainly seen at a banding station, suggesting local migration. Similar to Slaty-breasted and Buff-banded Rails, but Luzon has a fairly unpatterned back, a longer, thinner bill, and no rufous on the head. Voice little known, although when distressed, gives a sharp “kwik!” and various squeals.

Brightly colored thrush of well-shaded undergrowth in a variety of habitats, from deep hilly forests to city parks and gardens. Male has clean pale gray upperparts and a bright orange belly, female and immature male replace gray with brown and have dark streaking on the throat and chest. Forages loudly in the undergrowth, usually singly or in pairs; tends not to associate with other thrush species. Often approachable.