Gray-throated Babbler

A fairly large bird of mainly secondary lowland and foothill forest edge. As the name suggests, a variably plumaged bird. Males mostly have a black hood, wing and tail with belly and back, chestnut or orange-brown. Males and females of some races have a brown head. Very similar to Hooded Pitohui, but Southern Variable is usually found at lower elevation and has black rather than brown above the base of the tail. Song, a varied, jumbled warble.

Medium-sized sluggish flycatcher of riverine and disturbed habitats. Key marks are entirely cinnamon plumage and large-headed, plain-faced appearance; bill seems heavy and is entirely black. Sits still, peering about, before sallying to foliage for insects. Inhabits mid-story and understory, often at forest edge. Found in forest along rivers and oxbow lakes, in abandoned plantations, and at savanna edges, usually near water. Similar to Dull-capped Attila but has dark eyes and different voice. Most common calls are various mournful whistles.

Small and slim with a thick, pale eyebrow, a dark crown with a pale central crown stripe, and a heavily striped back reminiscent of the patterning of a snipe. Often perches acrobatically, gripping two stems at once. Breeds in open wet marshlands with scattered bushes or trees, often in areas with sedges; uses reed beds on migration; winters in West Africa, where it uses extensive shallow marshes. Song is fast and chattering. Rare across much of range; population is declining fast due to habitat loss.