Laughing Gull

An unmistakable, little-known hulking forest rail with a large yellow bill, an all-rufous head and neck, forest-green upperparts, and a blackish belly. Also note the striking pale blaze behind the eye. An extremely shy terrestrial bird with a very limited range in the Talaud Islands. Inhabits forest understory and marshy areas along forest edge. Calls include deep “ump-ump-ump” series and a hurried, high-pitched “peet-peet-peet.”

Small becard occurring from Venezuela to Peru, mainly on the east slope of the Andes, and disjunctly in Costa Rica and Panama. Mostly found in foothills, in middle to upper levels of humid montane forest. Male is mostly gray with bold white edges on the wing feathers and a black cap with pale spectacles. Compare with White-winged Becard, which has a black back and dark lores. Female is very different; look for her brown cap bordered with black, white spectacles, pale yellowish belly, and tawny edges on wing feathers. Extremely similar to Cryptic Becard, with potential range overlap on the east slope of the Andes in Ecuador and Peru. Male Black-and-white shows a broader upper wingbar, darker lores, a blacker upperside of the tail, and stouter bill than Cryptic. Female Black-and-white has a brighter rufous crown with a broader black border. These features may all be difficult or impossible to assess in the field; some birds are best left unidentified. Also note voice: song a slow series of one or several sweet downslurred whistles followed by an upslurred whistle, often repeated two or three times. Cryptic’s song is faster, with shorter notes.

A slender, blackish medium-sized crow with a long bill. The grayish nape and sides form a paler collar that contrasts with the glossy black body. Primarily a scavenger, feeding on leftover rubbish from humans. Found in a wide range of habitats mostly around human habitation. Their call is a loud and harsh “kaa kaa kaa.”