Lesser Kiskadee

Distinctive, locally common nighthawk of lowland rivers. Appears small and dark; in dim light, best distinguished from other nighthawks by swallowlike profile and longish tail. Also note the white band across tail and lack of white in wings. Usually found near water in forest and savanna regions, occasionally in large groups; does not tend to fly high. Dark plumage recalls Blackish Nightjar, but shape and behavior are very different.

A very small nondescript sunbird with a short orange-based bill that curves uniformly along its length; easily mistaken for females of other sunbirds. The only features on the olive upperparts are indistinct paler eyebrows and lines running under the eyes, and yellow edging to the wings. Although often hidden, the male has yellow or whitish (not red) tufts at the shoulders. Singles are local and inconspicuous at the edges of lowland and riverine forest, sometimes entering secondary growth; it joins mixed-flocks and is frequently attracted to epiphytes in mossy clumps. Calls a high-pitched “tseeep” and trills. Little Green and Fraser’s sunbirds are similar to Bates’s but brighter, with straighter bills and more distinct yellowish eye-rings; Ursula’s Sunbird has a long decurved bill and grayish face and underparts.

Tiny bird of rainforest canopy. Key field marks are white wing bars, clear pale gray underparts, thin black line through eye, and (especially) contrasting rufous back. Occurs in tall rainforest, where it follows canopy mixed-species flocks and is almost never found away from them. Feeds actively on insects, gleaning from foliage and often hanging upside-down, thereby offering a dorsal view that should facilitate identification. Song, which carries surprisingly far, is a thin, staccato trill, fast and accelerating. Smaller and more active than most other species in canopy flocks; habit of hanging upside-down recalls a greenlet, but face pattern, wing bars and contrasting back color are distinctive.