Wailing Cisticola

A big, chunky, relatively colorful rainforest greenbul. Mostly olive-green, with a reddish tail and a mostly gray head. The throat feathers are long and often puffed out; they are rich yellow in most of the range, but pale yellow in Nigeria. Found in the understory and at middle levels of rainforest and gallery forest. Usually in small, noisy groups that often join mixed flocks. Similar to Yellow-bearded Greenbul, but larger, with a puffier throat and some gray in the plumage. Similar to Red-tailed Greenbul, but larger, and never shows a pure white throat. Somewhat similar to Icterine Greenbul, but larger, and much darker on the breast and belly. The loud and distinctive call is a rising, two-part “truwa-treeeaa.”

A large gadfly petrel with a pale white head and a distinctive dark eye-patch. Back is pale gray with darker outer wings, creating an “M” shape on the back. Look for stout black bill and pinkish-colored feet. Breed on Antipodes and Auckland Islands in the New Zealand region and also on subantarctic Indian Ocean and Macquarie Islands. Forages between the subantarctic and Antarctic convergence zones. Three similar species: Soft-plumaged Petrel is smaller with gray-brown head and band on upper breast; Gray Petrel is larger with a smaller, darker head, a pale green bill, and a long neck; and pale morph Kermadec Petrel is smaller, lacks an eye patch, has darker upperparts, and shows white patches under the wing.

A large, buff-brown vulture with pale underwing patches and a diagnostic pale rump patch that is best seen in flight. Prefers open savanna and plains, where it breeds in loose colonies in tall trees. It remains Africa’s commonest vulture but is declining rapidly as it is highly susceptible to poisoning. The similar Cape Griffon is larger and paler, with a pale honey-colored eye (visible at close range), and less contrast between the flight feathers and the reminder of the underwing in flight.