Willis's Antbird

An energetic little bird with a tennis ball body and a long tail. Dark above and pale below with a dark gray patch on throat. Usually found in small flocks of its own species, foraging noisily and acrobatically in temperate forests and parks. In the far northern part of its range, overlaps marginally with Northern Long-tailed Tit, which lacks the gray throat patch.

A rowdy and sociable inhabitant of gardens, parks, and shrubby thickets, this long-tailed, black-eared bird is unmistakable. Upper body is dark gray overall, with brown primarily on the belly but also with some in the wings. Vent area is a dirty rufous color, often seen as the bird intermittently pumps its tail while foraging. Bold, often foraging out in the open on lawns and field edges, but even when hidden, its harsh chattering will give it away.

Medium-sized, gray vanga-like bird with a black hood. The underparts are dark gray in most of the range and pale gray in the southwest. Found in all types of forest, and sometimes in scrub and plantations. Often joins mixed flocks with other mid-sized birds. Most common vocalizations are an accelerating high-pitched series and a mild, chatty series of “chew” and “tew” notes. Shows gray underparts, unlike any similar vanga. Smaller-billed than Pollen’s, Van Dam’s, and Lafresnaye’s Vangas.