Bhutan Laughingthrush

Slender, long-tailed bird found in shrubby woodland (especially mangroves). Brown above and buffy below with gray cap, black mask, and bold black-and-white pattern on underside of tail. Bill is black on top, yellow below. Similar to Yellow-billed Cuckoo, but note buffy belly, black mask, and no rufous in the wings. Shy; tends to sit still for long periods of time, can be difficult to spot. Song is a series of low croaking notes, gradually becoming longer and lower-pitched. Feeds primarily on insects and small reptiles.

Adult male is bright yellow with a glossy black head and rusty-orange underparts. Female is dullish yellow overall and can be difficult to distinguish from other female weavers. Look out for Weyns’s Weaver, which has a similar color pattern, but a black back in the male and pale eyes in both sexes. Inhabits wetland areas and builds an oval nest. Native to eastern Africa; established species in Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.

Large, distinctive marsh dweller, elusive and often difficult to see in the heavily vegetated wet fields and marshes it inhabits. Male is unmistakable, with black body, brown-edged wing coverts, and red-and-yellow bill with raised, spiky red frontal shield (unlike smaller moorhen). Females and immature are similarly large but speckled brown above with tan faces, and lack male’s frontal shield. Males are very vocal when breeding, producing liquid-sounding gulps comparable to a water bottle emptying. Both sexes make a range of incisive, guttural clucking and creaking calls, as well as a sharp “keek” in alarm.