Common Gallinule

A medium-sized buff-brown francolin with an occasionally-raised bushy crest. There is a broad “string-of-pearls” collar around the white throat. It frequents savanna and riverine forest. Heralds the dawn and dusk with a repeated, rapid, cheery “cheer kirk-kik” call usually given as a synchronized duet between a pair. Walks confidently with a cocked tail, giving it a chicken’s gait.

This flycatcher is brown above and bright yellow below with a black-and-white head pattern; very similar in plumage to a host of other species including Great Kiskadee and Rusty-margined Flycatcher. However, note Lesser Kiskadee’s smaller size, slender shape, and longer, narrower bill. Sexes alike. Found singly or in pairs, almost exclusively around slow-moving bodies of water in the lowlands of northern South America. Easy to find; tends to perch conspicuously often at eye level close to the water’s surface. Also listen for its slurred buzzy calls to help distinguish from similar species.

Large, black-and-white puffbird with a brown breast patch. In addition to its brown band, note the lack of a white eyebrow, present in other black-and-white puffbirds. Found mainly in forests with sandy or rocky soil, often with stunted vegetation. In some parts of its range, it is also found in mature upland rainforest. Its song is a long, rising series of whistles, followed by a slowly descending series of stuttered whistles “wi wi woo, wi wi woo, …”.