Bates's Swift

Endemic to Cuba. A small flocking species of brushy and wooded habitats. Note the stout bill with curved culmen, and the white slash along the front of the folded wing. Male is glossy black, female is very dark blackish-gray. No similar species occurs in its range. Song is a complex buzzy trill that drops in pitch and is followed by various chips and thin “tsi” notes. Calls include a hard chip, often rapidly doubled, and a high buzzy “tsit.”

A medium-sized bird of lowland forest on the northwest islands. Rusty below, gray head, chest and back with brown wings. No other birds in range share this color scheme. At a glance, other species may appear similar although Little Shrikethrush is smaller, and Rusty Pitohui is larger with a white eye. Voice, a series of short, spaced phrases. Some, medium-pitch, bulbullike warbles and other sharp “wik!” notes.

Small, attractive tanager; bright crimson and black with a black mask and silver bill. Most commonly found in vegetation around oxbow lakes, also sometimes found in nearby forests and along rivers. Sexes similar though females are slightly duller than males. Extensive crimson and black mask easily distinguish this species from other tanagers within its range.