Oriental Greenfinch

Pretty little black-and-gray nigrita. In most of the range, has a white line on the head and white spotting on the wing, but the subspecies in the west of the range is darker and lacks these. Found in rainforest, gallery forest, and edge and secondary habitats. Usually sings from the canopy, but sometimes feeds low. The song consists of mournful whistles in an up-and-down pattern. Similar to Pale-fronted Nigrita, but larger, and with more black on the forehead. Eastern and central African birds are further separated by their white wing spots.

A small, entirely blackish swift with a slightly dusky throat and a deeply forked tail. Flies rapidly over lowland forest, occasionally gliding briefly. Most often found over lowland forests, where it nests in abandoned swallow nests such as those of Forest Swallow. In profile, similar to African Palm-Swift or Scarce Swift, but Bates’s Swift has wider wings and a bigger body, and is overall much darker.

A well-named antshrike of subtropical forest understory in the Andes. Male is uniform dark gray with no distinguishing features; female almost equally nondescript, plain brown overall with contrasting gray face. Stout bill with hooked tip, like other antshrikes. Usually seen singly or in pairs in the lower levels of montane forest, rarely coming into the open. Sometimes follows mixed-species flocks. Found at higher elevations than most other antshrikes. Listen for short series of “awh” notes, accelerating slightly.