Diademed Tapaculo

Small, stunning tanager mostly turquoise blue with a buffy vent. Look for black face and small buffy-orange patch on rear crown. Sexes alike. Usually found in pairs, often following a mixed-species flock in the canopy. An Andean species, found in subtropical forests, edges, and gardens. Visits fruit feeders.

A striking long-tailed flycatcher. Male is gleaming white below and black above with a bold white shoulder patch. Female is reddish-brown above with a conspicuous white eyebrow and a whitish underside. Singles and pairs occupy the canopy of forest, woodland, and savanna within lowlands and hills. Confined to Timor, Rote, and Semau islands. Both sexes differ from Pied Bushchat in being whitish below and significantly longer-tailed. Song comprises a sequence of staccato notes: “sweet-cherrrgrrr-wichu.” Also gives a soft, grating “tchuk.”

A small, gemlike species that prefers higher elevation moist woodlands, but also occurs in coffee plantations. The rather large head, long bill, and short tail create a profile shared only by the Broad-billed Tody within its range. Both species have bright green upperparts and a red throat and sides. Note especially the pale eyes of Narrow-billed Tody, as compared to the dark eyes of Broad-billed. Many Broad-billed also have a buff-yellow wash below, which the Narrow-billed lacks. On birds lacking buff below, the Broad-billed can be identified by its all red lower bill, which is black tipped in the Narrow-billed. Further clues to identification include altitude, with this species occurring above 700 meters elevation and the Broad-billed occurring mostly below 700 meters. The Broad-billed also tends to forage higher within woodlands on more open perches. Vocalizations include a buzzy “chik-zhwik” with second note slightly upslurred and a rapid buzzy chatter at about 14 notes per second; compare this with the quick “weep” or “whip” uttered by the Broad-billed.