Cinnamon-tailed Sparrow

A very small parrot of lowland and foothill wooded areas. Overall green color with black, pointed, upper bill, red rump and lower throat patch. Male has yellow forehead and a pale eye, where the female has a bluish face and dark eye. Similar to pygmy-parrots, but Papuan Hanging-Parrot has a red rump. Usually seen flying quickly overhead and its voice betrays its presence. Voice, high-pitch grating calls in flight or chattering while perched.

Medium-sized owl typically found in mountainous regions with mixed conifers and oaks. Overall brown with bold white spots on belly and back. Black eyes, unlike most other owls; main confusion species is Barred Owl. Spotted is well-named, with much more obvious spots on chest and belly than Barred Owl, and lacks distinct vertical stripes. Also note voice: one hoot, followed by a pair of hoots, followed by a final single hoot. Two separate populations: birds along the Pacific coast and the Sierra Nevada average darker, richer brown than birds further south and inland.

A tiny desert passerine that is active, bold, and noisy. Overall pale sandy-gray. Middle Eastern populations are grayer and have a more prominent facial pattern than North African populations. Favors desert wadis but also bush-strewn desert plains. Hops on the ground or in bushes with its long black-tipped tail spread and cocked up. Moves around in pairs or small groups, uttering noisy trills and a bi-syllabilic melancholic whistled “see-suu…” Similar to Graceful Prinia, but favors more arid habitats.