Ayacucho Antpitta

Uncommon, spectacular, crested eagle of lowland tropical forest. Most frequently seen soaring in mid-late morning; rarely seen perched. Gives loud, far-carrying whistles while flying, which often indicate its presence. Adult is black overall with bold white checkering under the wings and bold white bands on the tail. Immatures, although rarely seen, are browner with a white throat and crown. The short bushy crest is usually apparent only on perched birds and is not seen in flight.

Male is a tiny, plump, blue-black bird with a puffy white throat. Female has olive green upperparts, grayish throat, and yellowish underparts. Uncommon and local, in lower and mid-levels of forest or in forest edges. Male is unmistakable in range; female distinguished from other female manakins by the contrasting gray throat. Has some seasonal altitudinal movements. Voice includes soft, insect-like notes: “s-e-e-e-e-e-e-e”, often hard to hear. Restricted to the northern Andes of Colombia and Venezuela.

Chunky, short-legged heron. All white with a black-tipped blue bill and bright red legs in breeding plumage. Dark brown with white wings and belly in non-breeding plumage. Found in a variety of freshwater wetlands, though generally rare. Distinctive in breeding plumage, but easily confused with Squacco Heron in non-breeding plumage, when Malagasy Pond-Heron can be carefully distinguished by the much darker brown color on most of the body, which contrasts sharply with the white belly and wing.