Collared Petrel

A small bird with a very long blue tail that is held cocked. Breeding male has a bright pale-blue helmet, black breast, purple back, and chestnut shoulders. Small pale tips are sometimes visible on the tail. Over much of the species’s inland range, females are overall grayish birds with pale fronts and long blue tails; however, females of the subspecies found in the sandstone regions of the Kimberley and Arnhem Land have contrasting blue crowns and backs. This species occurs over much of arid inland Australia and is found in open vegetation.

Small, dark-backed starling with lightly streaked, gray underparts and noticeable white face. Found in pairs and small groups within the canopy of forest in the lowlands and foothills. Only starling in Sri Lanka with uniformly dark upperparts, extending onto nape and rear crown. Most often heard call is a harsh “chyup”. Song is an untidy series of warbles and scratchy notes.

A standard Scytalopus tapaculo: plain dark gray with browner flanks and rump. Acts like a mouse, scurrying around on or near the ground within montane forest. Very difficult to see, but quite common in its range in the Andes in Colombia and Ecuador. Occurs from around 1,900–3,200 m, which is typically higher than Nariño Tapaculo. Averages slightly lower in elevation than Blackish Tapaculo, but plenty of overlap. Note the very different song. More often heard than seen. Listen for a trill so fast that you can’t distinguish individual notes.