Collared Warbling Finch

Spectacular large hummingbird of humid tropical lowlands. Favors shady forest understory and edges, especially with patches of Heliconia flowers. Males sit and sing tirelessly from perches in the understory while pumping their tail. When feeding, hovers briefly with long white tail streamers held nearly vertical and shoots off with an explosive squeak. Note the striped face, very long, arched bill, and rather drab plumage. Unlike many hummingbirds, hermits do not defend a patch of flowers but zip between widely scattered flowers, a strategy known as traplining (like it is checking widely scattered nectar traps).

Small, active tanager with notably different male and female plumages. Male is steely blue overall with slightly darker wings. Look for sea-green throat and cheek, streaked upper breast, and contrasting black cap and nape. Female is mostly lime green with pale bluish head and breast; she has just a ghosting of the male’s black cap. Usually found in pairs, often following a mixed-species flock in the canopy. An Andean species, found in subtropical forest, edges, and gardens. Visits fruit feeders.

A striking bushshrike with a chestnut crown and nape, blackish upperparts with a white wing-stripe, and entirely white underparts. A scarce species that skulks in pairs in the understory of secondary forest and farmbush, including coffee plantations, near Gabela along the Angolan escarpment. Vocalizations are variable, but quality is consistent: a haunting reverberating “whorrrrr,” a sweet musical “til-out, til-out,” and nasal twanging or grating rattles. Tropical Boubou is similar to Gabela Bushshrike but differs by having buffy underparts and a blackish, not chestnut, crown.