Ash-colored Cuckoo

Large, dark, powerfully-built owl. Has orange eyes and rufous tones to the plumage, on both the back and the underparts. Found in rugged and rocky terrain, mainly in the mountains, though down to sea level in southern Africa. Uncommon to rare across its range. Call is 2–3 deep hoots. Similar to Spotted Eagle-Owl, but larger, with bright-orange eyes, more rufous in the plumage, and coarser markings below.

Handsome large bunting with a distinctive face pattern consisting of a dark brown ear patch (black in Japan) and mustache combined with a light eyebrow and throat. Male also has a gray collar and rusty-tinged upperparts and sides. Female has a weaker, paler head pattern, a partial collar, and tan underparts. Common in open areas with a range of different vegetation cover, including forest edges, farmlands, and meadows. The only bunting in its range to give multiple call notes in a series instead of isolated chips.

A medium-sized, short-tailed sparrow. Extensive plumage variation across range, but always streaky. Usually shows distinctive yellow patch in front of eye, but this can be indistinct or absent on some individuals. Some populations in California and Baja have larger bills and more muted gray streaking; others are very dark and boldly streaked. “Ipswich” Sparrow on the Atlantic Coast is paler with unique buffy-pinkish tones. Almost always found in open areas, from meadows and hayfields to tundra and coastal dunes. Tends to be found in more open habitats than Song Sparrow; also smaller and shorter-tailed.