Sunda Minivet

The only species of overall green woodpecker in west Mexico; endemic. Favors tropical forests and shade-coffee plantations in foothills. Forages mainly at middle to upper levels of larger trees, where can be very sluggish and easily overlooked unless its calls are known. Both sexes have a gray crown, green back, and barred underparts. Male has broad red mustache.

Large woodcreeper with a strong black bill. Dark chestnut-brown overall. Note the very fine bars on the head and underparts and the cinnamon crown. Found in the interior of humid forest and second growth, sometimes venturing to the forest edges, and regularly attending army-ant swarms. The song is a rolling series of “wutwutwut…” notes like the song of the closely-related Black-banded Woodcreeper, but the two probably don’t overlap in range. The similar Amazonian Barred-Woodcreeper has a dark red-brown bill.

Plump, medium-sized shorebird with very long bill. Extremely similar to Long-billed Dowitcher, and often flocks with it. Best distinguished by voice: a rapid series of notes, “tu-tu-tu”, lower-pitched and almost always in a series, unlike single piercing “keek!” of Long-billed. At all ages, look for subtle structural differences: Short-billed averages flatter-backed, slightly shorter-billed, and slightly shorter, especially noticeable when in a mixed flock. Breeding birds are intricately patterned with a variable amount of orange on the underparts. Short-billed usually has some white on the belly, and paler upperparts with bolder golden and white markings. Also look for messy and extensive spotting on sides, not sparsely barred like Long-billed Dowitcher. Nonbreeding plumage is brownish-gray overall with a paler belly; extremely similar to Long-billed but averaging slightly paler and more patterned, especially on the breast and sides. Juveniles are easiest to identify: look for bright golden markings on the tertials and scapulars. Short-billed breeds in grassy wetlands and tundra, and can be found in a variety of wetland habitats in migration and winter. A very early fall migrant, with southbound birds appearing in the U.S. by late June. Usually in flocks, feeding actively like a sewing machine. Tends to favor saltwater marshes, beaches, and mudflats. Somewhat less likely in freshwater habitats than Long-billed, but much overlap, especially the hendersoni subspecies that migrates primarily through the center of the continent.