Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant

Sturdy songbird with substantial bill. Male brown above, peach-buff below, with black bill, grayish head, and pale throat and breast with faint streaking. Female and immature similar but with gray bill and thin orange eyering. Inhabits rainforest at higher elevations in the Wet Tropics region above Cairns in far northern Queensland. Song comprised of four quiet notes followed by three loud, ringing notes.

Dark sooty leaf warbler with a pale brow stripe and no wingbars. Yellow wash to the underparts tends to be absent in worn birds. Extremely similar in appearance to Dusky Warbler, which averages larger and darker overall, and has a longer, brighter brow stripe. Breeds in scrubby areas above the treeline and moves downhill into shrubby and grassy foothill and lowland areas. Forages low on the ground, often around rocks or water. Song is a repetitive series of liquid notes. Calls are dry, hard “chuck” or “tick” notes.

A typical black, white, and gray batis. Note the chest band, which is black in males and chestnut in females. Found in dry savanna and thornscrub, often in pairs. Very similar to Western Black-headed Batis, and best distinguished by voice, but usually shows a paler gray crown. Also similar to Pygmy Batis, but larger, and the white eyebrow extends well behind the eye. The distinctive song is a descending series of several whistled notes.