Mauritius Cuckooshrike

A small brown owl with yellow eyes and feathered ear tufts. Note square head shape when tufts not raised. Body all brown with extensive scattered darker and paler markings. Juvenile heavily barred on back and crown. Inhabits understory of forest and forest edge from lowlands to lower mountains. Endemic to Sulawesi. Distinctive: the only scops-owl in range. Song a persistent single note “woooo” repeated often, sometimes with an upward inflection at the end: “wooooek.”

Plump, colorful bird of cloud forest along the east slope of the Andes. Plumage is mostly green and yellow, and male has a red throat and breast. Female may have a yellow or orange chin patch, but this feature is often absent on Ecuadorian birds. Female is similar to female Fiery-throated Fruiteater but larger and with an orange (not black) bill. Plucks berries at mid-levels in the forest, and often found in pairs. Gives high-pitched chips and whistles, sometimes followed by a trill.

An ebony shadow trailing obsidian tresses. Medium-sized drongo with two extravagantly long tail feathers tipped with plumes, the shape of which vary throughout its range. Glossy black overall with red eyes. Juvenile duller and lacks streamers. Can be confused with the larger Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, but Lesser is crestless and oddly flat-headed, with a more square-ended tail. Inhabits mid- to high-altitude tropical forests, where it forages primarily under closed canopies, not venturing out into the open as frequently as Greater Racket-tailed. Joins mixed flocks. Impressive vocal range, giving highly variable songs that include bouncy hoots, ringing whistles, and harsh nasal notes, among others; also mimics other species.