Humaita Antbird

Long-winged, northern raptor found in open areas like fields and marshes. Plumage variable; light morphs generally pale with dark belly and dark patches on "wrists." Dark morphs have brown or blackish body with finely banded tail and striking white flight feathers. Some birds intermediate. Hovers often, kestrel-like, flapping wings while looking down. Also perches at edges of tree branches and tops of trees, places larger hawks are too heavy to perch. Breeds in far northern tundra and moves south irregularly to winter in open fields and grasslands. Compare with other Buteo hawks, such as Red-tailed Hawk and Common Buzzard, where ranges overlap. Note size, small bill, shaggy feathers on legs, and long and narrow wings.

A medium-sized rail of mid-mountane forest on New Guinea’s Bird’s Head. Chestnut body, dark wings and back with white markings on. Very quick moving and difficult to see. Co-occurs with the similar Chestnut Forest Rail but the White-striped Forest Rail is slightly larger with barred rear flanks, the male has white streaks rather than a plain back, and female has a slightly bared tail and is spotted to the back of the neck. Voice, an incessant quacking.

Endemic to Cuba. A small flocking species of brushy and wooded habitats. Note the stout bill with curved culmen, and the white slash along the front of the folded wing. Male is glossy black, female is very dark blackish-gray. No similar species occurs in its range. Song is a complex buzzy trill that drops in pitch and is followed by various chips and thin “tsi” notes. Calls include a hard chip, often rapidly doubled, and a high buzzy “tsit.”