Andean Solitaire

A gregarious brown babbler with a striking yellow-orange eye that is rimmed with red in the southern part of its range. It has a multitude of tiny white chevrons on the head and breast that are diagnostic. Groups occupy woodland and savanna, foraging for insects, spiders, and small vertebrates on the ground or in low shrubs and trees. This is the main host species for the nest parasite Levaillant’s Cuckoo. A dry gurgling babble “gra-gra-gra-gra-gra” is given by multiple birds, keeping the group together.

A small, slender warbler with greenish upperparts and reddish eyes; gray crown and cheeks are separated from the black throat by a striking white moustache. Juvenile has a green crown and a yellow throat. Locally common at scattered locations in lowland forest below 1500 meters of elevation, preferring the lower strata of primary and secondary forest and scrub in clearings. Pairs give a continuous buzzy “dree-lip, dreep-lip, dree-lip” and a dry “strik-strik-strik.” Masked Apalis looks similar to some montane forest apalises, but Black-throated Apalis has a striking yellow-orange belly, and Black-faced Apalis, an Albertine Rift endemic, has a black crown and the moustachial streak reduced to a neck spot. 

Small marsh bird with a disjunct range in South America, from central Colombia to eastern Brazil to central Chile. Note gray head and breast, warm brown upperparts, and brown flanks with white spots. Its greenish bill is distinctive. Singles or pairs can be seen swimming or walking in marshy habitat at the edge of lakes or ponds, sometimes remaining quite hidden. Unlikely to be confused, but compare with juvenile Common Gallinule, which has a dingy bill and a bold white stripe on the flanks.