Scaly-crowned Babbler

Skulking and heard far more often than seen, this fairly large and ample-tailed songbird replaces Blue Mockingbird in highlands and foothills south of Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Favors thickets, dense scrubby woodlands, and forest understory. Behavior similar to Blue Mockingbird: skulking and difficult to see clearly. Plumage striking: denim-blue above with a black mask, white below. Varied songs and calls similar to Blue Mockingbird.

A cryptically-colored ground-dweller without the bright colors and bold head patterns boasted by many of its relatives. Mottled brown overall with a grayish-white face and a speckled orange throat. Forages in dense undergrowth like other partridges, usually in mature foothill and lowland forest. Listen for its song, a series of ascending breathy whistles which culminate in an echoing series of ringing notes. As with many other forest gamebirds, very difficult to see in general; most likely encountered at staked-out blinds, or, if one is lucky, walking quietly along roadsides and clearings at dusk and dawn.

Gray finch-like bird with an oddly elongated bill. It is only found in boulder fields and other rocky areas of the high Andes, usually above treeline. Females are browner than males, and young birds are faintly streaked. Long bill and white smudge below eye distinguish it from Plumbeous Sierra Finch. Always found on or near rocks, and often perches with its head tilted upward.