Chestnut-crowned Warbler

Breeding males are beautiful and distinctive with rich reddish-brown head, buffy forehead, pearly gray body, and pinkish breast. Look for large white wing patches in flight. Females are plainer warm brown overall, with a small pale bill. Very difficult to distinguish from female American Wigeon; note warmer brown head on Eurasian with little contrast between head, breast, and sides. Also look for dirty grayish, not bright white, underwings in flight, but this can be difficult to judge, especially at a distance. Widespread and common in Eurasia, breeding at northern latitudes and wintering south to central Africa and Southeast Asia. Typically in flocks on lakes and wetlands, often grazing in nearby fields. Regular winter visitor to North America, especially on the west coast, usually in very small numbers among flocks of American Wigeon.

Large rainforest rail found in hilly areas of eastern Ecuador, northeastern Peru, and far western Brazil. Rare and most likely to be encountered in remote, undisturbed forest that is difficult to access. Compared to the more common Gray-cowled Wood-Rail, it has a bright cinnamon hind neck and mostly gray underparts that lack any chestnut. Usually found in the vicinity of streams and creeks. Typical call is a whining, descending squeal.

A cute, dumpy, colorful flycatcher-like bird that flits around in the mid-canopy and understory of forest, forest edge, plantations, and gardens. Males have a broad black chest band, yellow-orange eye, white stripe through the top of the wing, and white throat. Females have an orange eye, buff-and-white stripe through the top of the wing, and rufous chin patch. The song is a series of 8-9 plaintive steady piping “peooop” notes, and calls include buzzing grating “ddrz-drrzt-drrr, ddt-ddzt-drzt-drr”. Female Dark Batis is distinguished by its darker (rich rufous rather than white and buff) wing stripe. Male Dark Batis is very similar, but has a slightly longer tail and broader black breast stripe. Also similar to Chinspot Batis, but has darker orange color to the eyes, and female Malawi Batis shows paler rufous on the throat and buff tinges to the wing stripe.