Chestnut-bellied Rock-Thrush

A large, long-tailed, iridescent blue-green to purple glossy starling with barred wings, and a round-tipped tail. Pairs, groups, and small flocks are resident in dry savanna, especially near thorn trees, where they have become common in camps and often associate with humans. The species feeds on the ground, walking with long strides and sitting low in trees, searching for insects, small vertebrates, and plant matter to eat. The similar Meves’s Starling differs from Burchell’s Starling by being bluer and smaller, with a more strongly graduated tail that is proportionately longer.

A mid-sized, green-backed woodpecker. Males have a red crown and moustache; females have a white-streaked black forecrown, a red hindcrown, and a white-spotted black moustache. Varies geographically; in most of the range, the underparts are plain buff with some fine speckling, but in the eastern part of the range, the underparts are white with bold spotting. Found in savanna habitats, including broadleaf Guinea savanna and dry thorn savanna. Usually in pairs, which give a series of “kreek” notes in a loud duet. Very similar to Nubian Woodpecker in the narrow zone where their ranges meet, but Fine-spotted is distinguished by having a less streaked face and less heavily marked underparts. Similar overall to Golden-tailed Woodpecker, but has spotted rather than streaked underparts.

Large, dark woodshrike with ashy gray upperparts and darker gray wing panel and tail with a variable brownish tinge. A prominent black face mask surrounds the pale yellow iris. Underparts are white. Lacks the pale supercilium of the Common Woodshrike. Malabar Woodshrike typically inhabits tropical and subtropical lowland forests, both humid and dry, as well as clearings in evergreen forests. It is endemic to the Western Ghats region. This bird has a loud ringing call: “twee-tu, twee-tu, twee-tu.”