Golden-collared Tanager

A mid-sized, stocky, black-and-white barbet with a yellowish eyebrow, red forecrown spot and heavily spotted underparts. It is a low-density resident in broadleaved woodland, particularly Miombo (Brachystegia) and Burkea, where it is mostly solitary, but occasionally joins flocks to forage. Similar Pied and Red-fronted barbets have neater faces, lacking the brownish ears and scaly sides to the throat of Miombo Barbet, and their ranges barely overlap. Calls a distinctive melancholy “poooop” 6–7 times, often accompanied with a nasal repeated “nyeeeeaar”.

A sleek inhabitant of wooded areas that ventures into gardens and parks searching for flowers and fruit; prefers areas with palms. The adult is distinctively all black except for its yellow vent, rump, and shoulders. No similar species occur within its range. Immatures are yellow to yellow-orange and resemble immature Baltimore Orioles, but have thicker and blacker bill and lack the white wingbars seen on Baltimore Orioles. Full song is fluid series of whistled upslurred and down-slurred notes. Calls include a buzzy “zzwhi” and an emphatic “tchu.”

Rather plain medium-sized warbler: warm brown above with narrow pale spectacles, pale buffy below. Can be very difficult to separate from other reed warbler species. Most populations breed in reed or sedge beds, both pure and mixed with bushes, often wandering to adjacent scrub and thickets. “Mangrove” Reed Warbler is a resident in mangroves along the Red Sea. Non-breeding migratory birds may wind up in a wide range of habitats, from marshes to mangroves, to acacia scrub and cultivation. Often heard but can be hard to see: prolonged song much like Sedge Warbler but more even-paced and melodic, without rough and jerky phrases. Calls include a low “chuk” and rattled “chrrt.”