Screaming Piha

A large, fierce-eyed prinia with a long, oft-cocked tail. Breeding adults have a gray head, white throat and brow, brown upperparts, and pale, brown-washed underparts. Nonbreeding adults lack the gray but retain the white brow and throat. May be confused at a distance with Yellow-bellied Prinia, but is much larger, and has a more extensive brow and no bright yellow anywhere on the body. Usually found in open, scrubby habitats, including overgrown fields and forest edges. Loud, strident song consists of one high liquid-sounding note being repeated over and over.

Adults are gray overall with a white head and dark nape. Juveniles are dark sooty-gray with a white mustache stripe. Some variation across range; Rocky Mountain birds are palest. A bird of northern latitudes and high elevations; found in coniferous forests and clearings. Almost always in pairs or small family groups. Known for friendly, inquisitive behavior. Often seen around campgrounds and roadsides, looking for food handouts. Voice consists of variable soft, husky notes.

Large unmistakable toucan with a huge, rainbow-colored bill. Often seen in pairs, but not usually in groups like aracaris. Flies with a few flaps followed by a swooping glide, sometimes high over the forest canopy, and looks like a ‘flying banana.’ Heard more often than seen: ‘song’ is a far-carrying, frog-like croak, repeated steadily. Despite its large size and bright colors, can be difficult to see in leafy canopy, where it moves deliberately in search of food.