Streak-headed Antbird

Medium-sized forest bird, mostly black. Look for combination of bright red rump (visible in flight) and light blue eye. Long, pointed, pale yellow bill. Usually in small flocks moving through the canopy of forest and edges.

Rather large, blue-and-gray jay of highland pine and pine-oak forest endemic to highlands of central Mexico; occurs in transvolcanic belt from Volcánes de Colima in the west to Volcán Orizaba in the east. Typically travels in wide-ranging flocks of 5–25 birds, mainly at middle to upper levels in trees. Appreciably larger and broader-winged than Woodhouse's Scrub-Jays, with plainer plumage (lacks dark mask, whitish eyebrow, and partial dark collar of Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay). Noisy calls carry well.

Both sexes show a dark gray head and underparts with a rufous back, tail, and undertail. Tail is usually short, but males in the southwest part of the range can sport very long central tail feathers. Both sexes have a blue bill and ring around the eye. Found in lowland rainforest and swamp forest. A restless, active bird of middle levels of the forest.  Similar to Rufous-vented Paradise-Flycatcher, but has a paler gray head without a crest, and usually has a shorter tail. Can be similar to African Paradise-Flycatcher, but distinguished by the rufous undertail and lack of a crest. Call is a series of tearing “shreet” notes, and song is a fast, bubbling series of “twee” notes.