Slender-billed Flufftail

Small screech-owl with a scattered distribution in the Andes. It inhabits cloud forest in southeastern Ecuador and northern Peru, as well as a few locations in Colombia and Venezuela. Most birds have bright cinnamon-buff plumage, but some are brown and tan. Distinguished from the similar Rufescent Screech-Owl by the lack of any white marks on the shoulders, and by voice. Song is a fast, rising and falling series of soft “pu” notes. The speed at which the notes are given is quite variable.

A massive, long-legged, terrestrial bustard with a black-and-white checkered pattern on the wing bend. It is conspicuous and encountered regularly in semi-arid shrubland, grassland, and savanna. Singles and pairs march slowly and purposefully, feeding on plant matter, large insects, and small vertebrates. Flies low, flapping with slow shallow wing beats. The males display in loose leks by puffing out their throat plumes and cocking their tails. Similar Arabian Bustard is smaller than Kori Bustard and has white and black checkered pattern at wing bend.

This flycatcher is brown above and bright yellow below with a black-and-white head pattern; very similar in plumage to a host of other species including Great Kiskadee and Rusty-margined Flycatcher. However, note Lesser Kiskadee’s smaller size, slender shape, and longer, narrower bill. Sexes alike. Found singly or in pairs, almost exclusively around slow-moving bodies of water in the lowlands of northern South America. Easy to find; tends to perch conspicuously often at eye level close to the water’s surface. Also listen for its slurred buzzy calls to help distinguish from similar species.