Thrush Babbler

Uniform buffy-brown owl with dark eyes. Mottled brown and white above and lightly barred on the breast. Found in montane, lowland humid and second growth, preferring areas with dense understory. Both sexes give a high-pitched meow and low harsh “grugrugru, grugrugru.”

Brilliantly colored small partridge of montane and foothill forests. Often difficult to see in the gloom and tangle of shaded vegetation, but note slate-gray back and chest, rusty belly, and bright orange-and-black face pattern. Like other Arborophila partridges, typically forages on the forest floor in small groups. Song is a fast and gradually rising series of “whew” notes; when duetting, one bird gives the aforementioned song while its partner gives a slower, lower-pitched “boo-goo, boo-goo, boo-goo.”

A small, compact lark with variable dark- to rusty-brown upperparts, sometimes with darker streaks or feather centers, pale eyebrows and throat, and a pale belly that contrasts with the heavily streaked chest, often washed rufous. The tail is brownish with white outer feathers that are conspicuous in flight. Restricted to a very specific habitat, rocky lava-strewn plains in semi-desert, in two areas of Kenya. Vocalizations are poorly known, but a loud “tsireet” has been recorded during the display flight. Other similar larks are generally less rusty and less streaked on the chest.