Romblon Boobook

A striking, largely bright turquoise-blue flycatcher with a white belly and prominent black mark between bill and eye. Juvenile is brown and extensively spotted, with blue wings and tail. Inhabits understory and upper levels of foothill and montane forest, where singles or pairs frequently join mixed-species flocks. Unmistakable within limited range in Indonesia and the Philippines. Song is a short, unchanging jumbled warble with no obvious introductory or ending notes, giving the impression that it starts and ends right in the middle of the song.

Handsome grassland bird found from the southwestern US to central Mexico. It was long considered a subspecies of the widespread Eastern Meadowlark, but recent research has shown that it should be treated as a distinct species. In the limited area where their ranges meet, note that Chihuahuan Meadowlark has paler flanks and more white in the tail. Separating Chihuahuan Meadowlark and Western Meadowlark is a common ID challenge as their ranges mostly overlap. Voice is often the safest bet. Chihuahuan Meadowlark has a simpler, less gurgled song and its typical call note is a sharp “zit” (not a low “chuck”). Silent birds can be identified if the tail is seen well. Chihuahuan Meadowlark’s outer four tail feathers are almost completely white, whereas the white in Western Meadowlark’s tail is mostly restricted to the outer three feathers. Chihuahuan Meadowlark’s cheek also tends to be paler, though this is not always a reliable feature. Prefers tall, undisturbed grassland areas, often scattered with oak trees. Feeds on the ground where it usually stays well hidden, and sometimes sits on exposed perches, especially when singing.

Beautiful small, plump, and short-tailed bird with green and yellow plumage. Males have a white crown and rump, while females have a blue crown and green rump. Found in the understory of lowland forests, where mostly seen at fruiting trees. At the lek, where several males can often be found in close proximity, males give a short “chí-wrrr” call, interspersed with rising “pweeee” calls, and can be very hard to see.