Silver-backed Butcherbird

This small streaky buff-brown ground-dweller is the only resident songbird on South Georgia Island, where it inhabits rocky shorelines, offshore islets, inland pools, and stands of tussac grass. Forages actively for invertebrates, running about and flicking its tail. Like many other Antarctic and subantarctic species, can be quite confiding, often allowing for close approach. Gives husky metallic “wick” and “tsik” notes, the latter typically given when in flight. Males perform a songflight display, giving jangling metallic phrases at well-spaced intervals.

A beautiful, rainbow-colored inhabitant of tropical forests; often bolder than other pittas and occasionally seen in city parks, especially while on migration. Stunning, with green back, blue wings, orange belly, and black mask. Solitary outside of the breeding season; usually seen hopping around in leaf litter and turning over debris in search of invertebrates. Listen for its bouncy song, a series of loud “weuh-wheew!” phrases.

This plump brown bird is found in the Andes in Venezuela and Colombia, from the lower foothills up to 2,100 m. Females are darker than males, with a less prominent white mustache. Not many similar species in range; beware White-whiskered Puffbird, which is typically found at lower elevations and shows yellowish (not gray) lower mandible and more streaking on belly. Typically inconspicuous in the lower to middle levels of wet forest, where singles or pairs often sit motionless on a horizontal limb.