Blue-headed Wood-Dove

Chunky rail-like bird with rich rufous coloration. Found on the floor of dry forest in and adjacent to the limestone karst “tsingy” of Bemaraha and Beanka. Usually in pairs or small groups. Very shy, and looks almost like a mammal when scurrying away from disturbance. Most common call is a long, ringing series of “tyeow” notes. Also gives deep grunts. Within its small range, only likely to be confused with White-throated Rail, but smaller, with a shorter bill and a much smaller white throat patch.

Medium-sized brown flycatcher with an orangish tail. Note upright posture and broad-based pale bill. Forages quietly and usually singly in the lower levels of forest edge, both through gleaning and flycatching. Breeds in open forests in hilly and montane areas at 1500-3000 meters of elevation; in the winter, favors forest edge and clearings. Song is a descending whistle followed by a brief sputter of shorter notes: “Weee-pewchewchi!”

Tiny rotund, short-tailed bird, scarcely larger than a sparrow; like a diminutive partridge or quail but only distantly related. Brown with scaly streaking above, extensive black barring on the chest (more extensive on the female), and rich tawny flanks. Extremely difficult to detect, moving about invisibly in dense weedy vegetation in fields, forest edges, and farmland. Flying birds have whirring flight, show contrast between dark flight feathers and paler coverts. Courting females give sonorous, booming calls from dense vegetation.