Hooded Antpitta

Small and rather scarce flycatcher found in disturbed forest on the east slope of the Andes. Yellowish-olive with a gray head and pale throat. Combination of stubby, reddish bill, pale iris, and yellow edges to wing feathers that do not form distinct wingbars help separate it from other small flycatchers. Overlaps with the very similar Mishana Tyrannulet in northern Peru, but Red-billed has a gray (not olive) crown and a different voice. Calls include soft whistles and squeaks, given alone or in a quick series. Typically seen perched high in a tree in a clearing or at forest edge.

Otherworldly beautiful large owl. White with a variable amount of black markings; old males are the whitest, while immature females have the densest dark patterning. Breeds on the Arctic tundra and winters in northern Eurasia and North America, where it favors expansive open habitats. Often encountered on lakeshores and in coastal areas with fields, marshes, piers, and sand dunes. Irruptive, moving considerably south of the usual wintering range some years.

A large eagle with rich brown plumage, wide wings, and seven well-splayed “fingers” at the wingtip. Adults are entirely dark brown; juveniles and immatures at rest show a distinctive wide white band bordered with black on the wing. In flight, this transforms into a white traverse band on the underwing that forms the base of the primary and secondary feathers. Birds take about four years to attain adult plumage. Frequents open grasslands, deserts, scrub, wetlands, and mountains, and is a regular carcass feeder along with vultures.