Black-eared Hemispingus

Small stout crow; often seen in large flocks, sometimes with other crows. Adult’s white neck and belly are unique in the region. Immature birds have pale gray cheeks but are otherwise black overall. Favors open areas with scattered trees; also around human habitation, particularly in agricultural fields. Gives nasal yelps, yaps, and caws.

A large pied flycatcher that is most commonly mistaken for Southern Fiscal. However, the upright stance and slender unhooked bill are distinctive flycatcher traits, and the pattern of white in the flight feathers and basal windows of the tail is diagnostic. The female is duller than the male. Singles and pairs frequent a variety of open country habitats, including gardens, parks, shrubland, and woodland, where they perch conspicuously and hawk insect prey from the ground or aerially. The species is mostly silent but occasionally it utters a thin high-pitched song. The similar Southern Fiscal is more robust than the Fiscal Flycatcher, with a chunky hook-tipped bill, a white V-pattern on the shoulders, and a long tail with white outer feathers.

Males is exquisitely patterned, with an unmistakable green-and-yellow facial pattern, spotted rose-pink breast, and long, drooping scapulars. Female mostly drab brown but with a distinct white spot near the bill base as well as a very weak hint of the male's facial pattern. Breeds in marshy woods and on the tundra. During the non-breeding season, gathers in groups of up to several thousand in marshes and estuaries in northeastern Asia; generally uncommon outside core wintering grounds.