Chestnut-and-black Weaver

Beautiful black-helmeted sparrow of forest understory. Contrasting black head, bright yellow bill, white throat and underparts, light gray mantle, yellow-green back and rump, gray wings and tail, and golden shoulders. Female has duller bill and buff-tinged underparts. Found alone or in pairs foraging in the understory of dry to humid forest and scrubby second growth. Vocalization is a high pitched “zeut, zeut, zeee.” The only totally black headed sparrow in its range. Found only in Colombia and Venezuela.

A small, stocky bird with a heavy, finch-like bill. Males have a gray head that contrasts with a black eye-stripe, and black on the collar, throat, and underparts. Females are pale brown with weak streaks on the head, back, and underparts. Similar to Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark, but Ashy-crowned males are told apart by the gray on the head. Females are difficult to distinguish. Inhabits dry scrub, fields, and rocky country. The song is often given in display flight, and consists of monotone whistles interspersed with buzzy notes.

Rare white snowball shrouded in mystery. Nonbreeding birds have buffy fringes to head and back feathers that wear to white by spring. Breeding males almost pure white except for limited black in wings. Breeding females have dark streaking on back. Breeds almost exclusively on St. Matthew Island in the Bering Sea; winters on the coast of western Alaska. Very similar to Snow Bunting but paler, usually with white rump; intermediate birds may be hybrids.