Austral Thrush

A gregarious, cartoonish, mostly gray-brown helmetshrike with a black head, piercing orange eyes, red legs and eye-wattles, and an orange-tipped red bill. Pairs and flocks of 4–10 inhabit mature dry and secondary forest, plantations, and thickets in a narrow range along the Angolan escarpment, where it is endemic and endangered. Calls are complex and include grating, whistling, and nasal notes. The similar Retz’s Helmetshrike is larger and darker than Angola, with a broader, more obvious wingbar in flight; ranges mostly do not overlap. 

Small yellowish bird; note bold wingbars and face pattern with short pale eyebrow and arc under the eye. Yellow underparts sometimes bright, sometimes paler whitish, but always some yellow tones. Could be mistaken for a tyrannulet but note thicker bill and more horizontal posture. Usually seen singly or in pairs, following a mixed-species flock through forest, edge, and second growth. Found at relatively high elevations in its limited range. Song is a slow series of short phrases, like a squeaky Yellow-throated Vireo.

Small owl with large, dark red eyes and soft ear tufts. Like many other small owls, far more often heard than seen; listen for its quiet whistled hoots, given at approximately 10-second intervals. If seen, note its pale yellow bill and very lightly-speckled underparts. Found in lowland and foothill forest.