Lesser Honeyguide

Dark, orange-and-black, barred crake. Deep red orange, with black wings, and bold black barring on the undersides. Occurs along the base of the Andes and locally in the Amazonian lowlands. Found in dense, wet secondary growth, especially low vegetation on river islands and wet grassy patches. Listen for its long, musical trill; springier than that of other crakes.

All-black songbird with decurved bill and long, cleft tail that curves up at the end. Adult has bright red eye, young birds dark-eyed. Plumage shows metallic iridescence in optimal light. Metallic Starling has finer bill, tapered tail. Inhabits great variety of habitats, where it chases insects mercilessly. Perches prominently, delivering harsh, squawking calls, often mimicking other species such as butcherbirds and kingfishers.

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.