Javan Oriole

A tiny, rotund flycatcher found singly in the understory of montane forest from Panama to Peru. Very nondescript plumage: darker olive above with a dull tawny breast and yellowish belly. Looks uniformly brownish in bad light. Usually stays low, where it perches quietly and sallies out to glean insects. Often detected by its snapping sounds and whirring wingbeats. Occurs from around 700–2,000 m, typically lower than Rufous-headed Pygmy-Tyrant but some elevation overlap.

Medium-sized shorebird. Gray above and white below, with fine white speckling on wings and bold white spectacles. Note dark underwing and dark rump in flight. Smaller and shorter-legged than Lesser Yellowlegs, with duller greenish legs. Often alone, but multiple individuals may gather loosely in appropriate habitat. Tips body like Spotted Sandpiper, but less constantly and not as quick and dramatic. Breeds around ponds and marshes in the boreal forest; uses old songbird nests in trees, unlike most other shorebirds. In migration and winter, mostly seen on small bodies of water like muddy ponds, lake edges, and slow-moving streams. Extensive winter range throughout Central and South America. Listen for piercing, high-pitched “tsee-weet!” call.

Small, chunky owl with a large, flat-topped head. Note extensive white spotting and gray face framed in black. Inhabits boreal, highland, and mixed woodlands; nests in tree cavities. Can be very difficult to find by day. At night, listen for fast tooting song, which can be confused with a displaying snipe; note clearer whistled tone and steadier volume. Populations move in response to winter conditions and prey populations, with large numbers moving south of typical wintering range some winters. Sometimes hunts small rodents around bird feeders. In Eurasia, compare with Eurasian Pygmy-Owl, which is smaller, has a less distinct facial disc, and finer spotting. In North America, distinguished from Northern Saw-whet Owl by its colder gray-brown coloration and spotted (not streaked) forehead.