Mountain Grackle

Endangered songbird restricted to the western slopes of the northern part of Colombia’s eastern Andes. Note the white spectacles, striped face, and barred wings and tail. Very similar to the widespread Rufous-and-white Wren, but duller brown, lacking rich chestnut tones in the plumage, and its song tends to be faster and higher in pitch. Range is also helpful for ID, since the two species have limited, if any, overlap. Skulks in the understory of dry to semi-humid forest as well as in shady coffee and cacao plantations.

A large, chunky, thickset weaver. The male is chocolate-brown with red legs and a hefty vermilion bill; the female and juvenile are paler and streaky underneath, with paler bills. In flight the species shows striking white wing patches. Family groups prefer dry woodlands with large trees that hold their sprawling and messy communal nests. Buffalo-Weavers forage on the ground in small to large groups, often in association with starlings and other birds, searching for insects, seeds, and fruit. Their odd electronic-sounding vocalizations often draw attention to them. The similar White-billed Buffalo-Weaver does not have a red or pinkish-orange bill.

Tiny waterbird, the size of an elongated grapefruit. In nonbreeding plumage, they are black above and white below with a black stripe on the side of the neck and a white comma behind eye. Short, stout bill. Horizontal posture like a football floating on the water. Dives frequently when feeding. In winter, only likely to be seen from land following the passage of a storm, otherwise stays well offshore. Found singly or in flocks. Much smaller than guillemots or puffins, with fast wingbeats and low, twisting flight that recalls a flock of sandpipers. Breeds in large numbers in Greenland and Europe; rare at alcid breeding colonies in Alaska. Birds in breeding plumage have an all-black head and chest.