Barred Fruiteater

Fairly widespread across northern Amazonia. Striking tanager found in the canopy in forest, edges, plantations, and gardens. Mostly seen in pairs or small single-species groups. Depending on the light can look quite dark, but has a mostly blue head and breast with black on the crown and around the bill, and blue flanks with black spots. Upperparts are mostly black with some blue highlights. Yellow belly. The call is a series of fast and high-pitched “psii” notes.

Inconspicuous, apalis-like grayish warbler with a long tail, straight thin bill, and buff-brown forehead. Isolated population in Mozambique, sometimes considered a different species (Njesi Tailorbird), is smaller, darker, and browner on the head. Singles and pairs are very low density, shy and creep slowly through the undergrowth and canopy, especially nearby streams; sometimes joins mixed-species flocks. Song a pleasant sweet bouncing “eeh-yuh, eeh-yuh, eeh-yuh” or strident “peelik-peelik-peelik”, sometimes joined in duet with a dry buzzing “dzit”; call a high-pitched “chhet” like a squeaky dog’s toy. Similar Brown-headed Apalis is shorter-billed than Long-billed Tailorbird and has white tips to the tail.

The antithesis of confusing northern gulls, Swallow-tailed is stunning and distinctive. Breeding adults are mostly pearly gray with a black head, red eyering, pinkish legs, and a pale-tipped bill with a white spot at the base. In flight, note striking three-toned wing pattern with gray, white, and black. Nonbreeding adults have a white head with thick black mascara around the eye. Juveniles similar to nonbreeding adults but darker above with a scaly pattern and an entirely dark bill. Breeds on the Galapagos Islands; highly pelagic for the rest of the year, found in offshore waters as far south as central Chile. Not likely to be seen from land. Forages for squid at night.