Band-bellied Crake

Similar to Buffy and Rusty Laughingthrushes, but much darker and less colorful. Dark rufous above and grayish-white below, with a silver ear patch, bright white throat, and a black patch around the eye. Generally not abundant in Himalayan foothill forests, where it forages in flocks of up to a dozen or so in thick undergrowth. Introduced to Hawaii, where it may be found in shrubby areas, often close to human habitation.

Reclusive, dark brown bird of mature rainforest understory. Forages singly or in pairs on the ground, scraping dead leaves aside to look for prey underneath; unlikely to be found with mixed-species flocks. Small pale throat patch and cold brown coloration help distinguish it from other leaftossers; similar to Gray-throated Leaftosser, but Black-tailed has a smaller throat patch and darker grayish-brown undersides (Gray-throated has a warmer reddish-brown breast). Found both in upland and seasonally flooded areas. Its song is a decelerating series of piping whistles; also listen for its sharp “PEEK!” call note, for some recalling Hairy Woodpecker.

A rather plain medium-sized dove, mostly restricted to western Ecuador but also occurs in western Colombia and extreme northwestern Peru. Within range, the main confusion species is White-tipped Dove. Pallid Dove has notably darker and warmer brown upperparts that contrast more with the whitish underparts. Like other members of the genus, Pallid is typically found on the ground (or flushing up into the understory). It is most often seen walking on roads or trails, or flying across quickly. There are a few places where it visits feeders. Within its limited range, it is fairly common, but be careful to separate from the equally (or more) common White-tipped Dove. Listen for its low-pitched, single “hoo” call.