Forest Thrush

Large and lanky, but heard much more often than seen. Widespread in tropical forest, ranging into semi-open areas with larger trees; in West Mexico it even occurs up into pine-oak forest high in the mountains. Hunts from canopy to forest floor, but usually calls from high in trees. Note the long yellow legs and long rounded tail with narrow white bars. Adults are usually white below, with dark ‘sideburns,’ but can be buffy below, and very rarely are black overall. Immatures have variable dark barring below.

Chunky, dark brown quail of cloud forest and elfin forest. Dark brown body is spotted white below; black bandit mask and reddish crown are distinctive. May be found singly, in pairs, or in small groups. Quite secretive, and often goes undetected until flushed suddenly from nearly underfoot. Forages on the ground, climbing over mossy tree roots and scraping aside leaves with its feet to look for small prey. Listen for its low caroling song given at dusk, an often duetted “dwee-put, dwee-put….”

Plump, rock-loving shorebird with slightly droopy bill. Most often seen in nonbreeding plumage, which is fairly dark gray with heavily spotted underparts. Color of legs and base of bill varies from dull greenish to orangey. Breeding plumage shows reddish back and smudgy black belly. Juveniles show some rusty tones and have neat white fringes on wing feathers. Some variation across range; breeding population on Pribilof Islands in Alaska is larger and paler. Breeds on tundra; winters on rocky coastlines, sometimes feeding on mudflats. Typically in flocks in winter, often mixed with turnstones or Surfbird. Extremely similar to Purple Sandpiper but no range overlap.