Black-necked Eremomela

A large, shy, stocky bird of lowland and foothill forest interior of western New Guinea. A dark brown crown edged with black, contrasting with white cheek and throat, containing small black dots forming an uneven moustache. A messy, black collar joins the crown on the back of the neck and gets narrower to the throat. Chest and belly are buffy with large black spots. May overlap with Arfak Catbird, but White-eared is usually found at lower elevation, is smaller and has a white cheek. Call, a harsh rasping note.

Short-tailed antbird of forest understory. Both sexes have black face. Males are gray with white wingbars; females are brown above, buffy below, with cream wingbars and a white or buffy throat. Forages singly or in pairs low in the undergrowth of mature forest. Usually inhabits more mature forest than similar White-browed Antbird, but there is some overlap. Note differences in facial pattern; males lack the white eyebrow and females lack the orange eyebrow seen on White-browed Antbirds. Female Black-faced Antbirds also have browner underparts than White-browed. Listen for an even-paced series of 5–7 whistles that is slightly higher in the middle. In the southern part of its range, these whistles are pure-toned; in the north, they are harsher.

Medium-sized antpitta. Typical antpitta shape: plump and short-tailed with long legs, like a grapefruit on stilts. Plain brownish overall; darker olive above and tawny below with a white eyering. Uncommon in the foothills and lower subtropics from Venezuela to Peru. Occurs on the ground in wet montane forest from around 700–1,800 m. Exceptionally difficult to see. Listen for its song: a fairly slow series of hollow whistles that gets stronger in the middle and then trails off.