Northern Schiffornis

A small bird of tangled undergrowth in lowland and foothill forest. White below with pale orange legs. Male has dark gray upperparts and a short white stripe behind each eye. Upperparts are dark brown in female with no head stripes. Female similar to Chestnut-tailed Jungle-Flycatcher, but has orange legs and a dark brown rather than chestnut tail. Song consists of short, varied whistled notes, often in a rising or falling series. Also gives single thin high downslurred whistles.

Chunky, dark brown quail of cloud forest and elfin forest. Dark brown body is spotted white below; black bandit mask and reddish crown are distinctive. May be found singly, in pairs, or in small groups. Quite secretive, and often goes undetected until flushed suddenly from nearly underfoot. Forages on the ground, climbing over mossy tree roots and scraping aside leaves with its feet to look for small prey. Listen for its low caroling song given at dusk, an often duetted “dwee-put, dwee-put….”

Very local in tropical foothills of west Mexico; endemic. Favors oak woodland and shade-coffee plantations. Mainly feeds at low levels, often in shady gullies. Best detected by its distinctive, slightly liquid twittering calls. Male often looks blackish overall: note the black bill, dark blue tail, emerald gorget, and deep blue crown that sometimes catch the light. Female notably plain and drab: note plain gray face and underparts and black bill.