White-rumped Robin

A strange little understory bird, unmistakable if seen well. Plump and very short-tailed, like a small antpitta or wren. Mostly gray with olive back; most distinctive feature is orange crown. Sexes alike. Found in high-elevation forests from 1500m to treeline, often around bamboo, and always close to the ground. Listen for high, thin calls.

Unique, chunky finch. Note the massive bill (steely gray in summer, pinkish in winter) and blue-gray hindneck, like a shawl on an orangey head. Broad white tail tip and white wing band show mainly in flight. Despite distinctive appearance, shy and easily overlooked. Favors mixed and deciduous mature woodland, especially with beech, oak, and hornbeam, where tends to feed and perch quietly, high in the canopy. Also feeds on the ground in autumn and winter, sometimes forming single-species flocks. Gives high-pitched “tsik!” and lower ticking calls.

Large, unique, sooty-colored chat with a proportionately small head and long broad white-tipped tail (except on central feathers), often seen only on spread tail. White spots in wings are obvious only in flight. Immature is paler. Pairs and family groups prefer rocky granite hills and outcrops that have light tree cover, especially embedded within Mopane and Miombo woodland. Mobile, they scuttle and bound over rocks and perch in trees, tail regularly raised or fanned. Gives a loud varied collection of high-pitched whistles and trills, often likened to a squeaky wheel.