Slender-billed Scimitar-Babbler

Compact kingfisher with a dark blue back and rufous underparts. The color of the back varies geographically, and can be purple-blue or paler blue. Found along forested streams and rivers and in mangroves. Secretive, solitary, and generally uncommon. Call is a high-pitched “seet.” Larger than Malachite Kingfisher, with a black bill. Similar to juvenile Malachite, which has a dark bill, but Shining-blue has a dark face without any orange.

A large, long-billed woodpecker with an olive back, a red rump, a bold facial pattern, and heavily marked underparts with a bright red central belly stripe. The crown and back of the head are black in the female and red in males. Forages alone or in pairs, preferring dead tree trunks where it can excavate for beetle larvae and other insects in lowland rainforest, gallery forest, and plantations. Calls include a sharp “kwip,” a series of similar notes, and a fast whinnying call. Also gives a distinctive drum that lasts about 2 seconds, beginning fast and then slowing. Similar to Bearded and Yellow-crested Woodpeckers, but there is very little overlap in range, and those species lack the red belly patch. 

Small, slim shrike with a brown wing and tail. Note the white slash across the shoulders. Males are gray below and females buffy. Found in broadleaf woodland of miombo, mopane, and Zambezi teak. Uncommon and very localized species. Perches high in trees, but rarely on the conspicuous open perches used by most shrikes. Often in pairs. The vocalizations include an annoyed-sounding “sveeat” and low rasps. Most similar to female Red-backed Shrike, but separated by the white mark across the shoulders and lack of barring on the underparts.