Rusty Tinamou

Small, recalling a beige chiffchaff or other Phylloscopus warbler. Rather nondescript: gray brown above, paler below, with a short, dark-tipped bill and conspicuous pale eyebrow. Pot-bellied with short wings and a square-tipped tail. Can be extremely difficult to identify; compare carefully with small Acrocephalus warblers and other Iduna warblers, especially Sykes’s Warbler. Found in low bushes in steppes and meadows; also bushy areas in migration and in winter. Usually forages low down, and occasionally on the ground. Song starts out with a few dry chitters, then launches into a rapidfire burst of high-pitched chattering that almost stumbles over itself. Also gives dry “tchak” and rattle calls.

What this bird lacks in color, it makes up for with a ridiculously oversized bill. Male is all glossy black, female warm brown. Male’s bill is huge and pink, female’s is equally huge but dark gray. Larger overall size than other seed-finches and seedeaters. Could be mistaken for Thick-billed Seed-Finch but even larger bill should help with identification; also note lack of a white patch in the wing. Found in open habitats, especially fields with some scattered shrubs.

Large, ubiquitous yellow-bellied flycatcher found throughout most of Middle and South America, though tends to be uncommon at the far northern end of its range in the U.S. A classic “telephone wire” bird along roadsides and in towns. Prefers open areas with some trees and water. Most abundant in lowlands and foothills, but ventures up to over 3,000m in some parts of range. Listen for sharp, high-pitched twitters. Nearly identical to Couch’s Kingbird, which overlaps from Texas to Belize; best separated by voice. Larger and longer-billed than Western and Cassin’s Kingbird; also note paler brownish tail. Also very similar to White-throated (longer, forked tail) and Snowy-throated (dark mask) Kingbirds in some parts of South America.