Reichenbach's Sunbird

Small, handsome swallow of boulder-strewn rivers. Black-and-white pattern is distinctive but can be surprisingly hard to discern in bright sunlight. Note long-tailed profile and habitat. When gliding, often appears to hold wings below the horizontal. Seldom if ever encountered away from rocky rapids, around which groups cluster, sitting directly on rocks and flying about, chasing insects. Tends not to fly higher than treetop level. Often found with the more widespread White-banded Swallow.

A dumpy bird with a blue-gray head, a chunky bill, a brown back, and a pale belly with dark streaks. The breast band is broken into two patches and is orange in the male and buff in the female. Pairs are resident at middle levels and in the understory of lowland and montane forest. Call is a thin high-pitched whistle “heeeuuw”; the species also displays with a bizarre mechanical rattle “prrdddrrtt” made by the wings. African Broadbill is smaller and duller than Gray-headed, and Rufous-sided Broadbill has a dark head and white wingbars. 

A large and stocky black drongo with glimmering blue iridescence on the wings, breast, and neck. Note triangular tail with flaring tips that curl out sideways and a large, curved bill with which it crushes insects and probes for nectar. Long, thin, hair-like feathers on its forehead, present only in some subspecies, may be visible at close range. Birds in Java and Sulawesi have white eyes. Encountered singly or in small flocks; also joins foraging flocks with other species. Found in a wide range of forested habitats, where it often uses exposed perches. Calls include a varied jumble of various harsh screeches, nasal yelps, metallic sounds, and beeps.