Black-headed Brushfinch

A small, dark brown bird with a contrastingly black-and-white face. The black cheeks are sandwiched between a long, thick white eyebrow and a white throat. Extremely difficult to see as it moves quickly through the dense undergrowth in evergreen forests. Almost always seen in mixed-species foraging flocks. Calls include sharp whistles and hard “tic” sounds delivered in succession.

Small flycatcher found in dry and semi-humid forest in western Ecuador and western Peru. It is mostly gray with pale wingbars and a small crest. Some birds show a small amount of yellow on the belly. Prefers drier habitats than Eastern Wood-Pewee and Western Wood-Pewee, and only rarely found together with them. Tropical Pewee has shorter wings, a longer tail, and may show a faint spot between the eye and bill. Voice is very distinctive. Typical song in most of its range is a clear, whistled “pee, wee”; occasionally more notes are given. In the Marañón Valley it gives a different “chee-wit” or “chee-chee-widit”. Often encountered on an exposed branch, from which it makes regular sallies to hunt insects. It may return to the same perch repeatedly. Formerly considered a subspecies of Tropical Pewee.

A large and scarce tanager of montane forest in the high Andes from extreme western Venezuela to extreme northwestern Peru. Unlikely to be mistaken with a good view: dark hood (blue on the crown and nape, black on the throat) with a green back and yellow belly. Also note blue shoulder and green edging on wing feathers. Less common than Hooded Mountain-Tanager, which has a blue back and red eye. Pairs or small groups forage quietly in the lower to middle levels of forest and edges, often apart from mixed flocks. Occurs from 2,800 to 3,700 m.