Hooded Grosbeak

A brightly colored songbird with a bright golden belly and throat, a black hood and chest band, and an olive upperside and wings. Female is dull overall, with brown upperparts, pale belly, off-white throat, and no breast band. Endemic to northern and western Fiji, where mostly inhabits mature forest, but also secondary growth. Song consists of a melodic whistled series, typically concluded with a decisive-sounding “whit!” note. Formerly treated as part of more broadly-defined “Fiji Whistler” alongside White-throated Fiji Whistler.

This widespread thrush shows a large amount of geographical variation. The upperparts are generally gray-brown, while the underparts can be buff, gray, or rufous. All across the range, shows a yellow bill. Found in a range of habitats, including forest edge, woodland, gardens, and cultivation. In areas without Abyssinian Thrush, also occurs in montane forest. The song is a pretty, variable series of chatty whistles and trills which can continue for a long time without a pause. Similar to Abyssinian Thrush, but found at lower elevations in areas of overlap, and is generally paler, with a paler yellow bill.

Medium-sized flycatcher-like bird found in lowlands and foothills from Venezuela to Peru. Male dark blackish above and gray below. Female is rusty overall, but paler buffy on the belly. Note gray lores on the female to help separate them from other rusty-colored becards. Singles or pairs can be found in middle to upper levels of forest or open woodlands.