Yellow-bellied Flyrobin

A small and long-tailed, small-billed finch. Virtually unstreaked. Male has a pink face and breast with a whitish forehead and crown. Female is pale gray-brown overall with a whitish belly. Lives in deep desert canyons. Resident or locally nomadic. Often flies long distances to water sources. Its rarely-heard song is a quick series of 6–7 metallic “Tzi-tzi-tzi-tzi-tzi-tzi” notes. Flight call a metallic “Tziup.”

Large woodpecker found in both dry and humid forest in western Ecuador, northwestern Peru, and far southwestern Colombia. Note red head, white “V” on black back, white neck stripes, and barred lower underparts. On female, white neck stripe extends to beak. Similar to Lineated Woodpecker, but Guyaquil Woodpecker’s back stripes converge in a “V”, and it lacks a dark mask around the eye. Often perches on dead trees, and periodically pounds out a loud, powerful burst of knocks.

A very slender gray-brown swift with a long, deeply forked tail that is often held closed, making it look needle-like and pointed. The erratic flight pattern, with frequent direction changes and rapid wingbeats on long, scythe-shaped wings, is distinctive. Less gregarious than other swifts; usually found in pairs or small flocks, and association with other swallows and swifts is usually only fleeting. Forages over a wide variety of habitats with palms, including savanna, coastal scrub, towns, villages, cultivated areas, forest edge, and clearings, from sea level up to 1800 meters of elevation, preferring lowlands. Nests and roosts in palms and uses its tiny legs with hook-like claws to cling to the undersides of fronds. Gives a high-pitched, metallic “tre-tit-tit-tit-tit-tit-tit-tit” call, solitarily or in unison with others. Separated from other swifts by its longer and thinner tail.