Sri Lanka Drongo

A medium-sized, all-dark stork with a mostly greenish gloss and a uniquely-shaped bill that creates a diagnostic gap between the two halves of the bill. Its flight is slow and labored. The long neck and feet separate it from other dark waterbirds. It prefers still waters in shallow lakes, swamps, and seasonal pans, where it uses its odd bill to extract snails and mussels from their shells. A resident, migrant, and nomad; massive numbers can suddenly appear when conditions are favorable.

A spectacular green turaco with a bushy crest. There are two white marks on the face, though these vary geographically in size, and one subspecies also shows orange on the back of the head. Shows large crimson wing patches in flight. Found in montane forest and woodland. Acts like a typical turaco, bouncing through the trees and flying occasionally with short bursts of wingbeats and long glides. Call is a gruff, accelerating series of “kow” notes. Similar to Prince Ruspoli’s Turaco, but easily separated by its white facial markings.

Handsome blue-and-black jay of tropical forests, woodlands, and gardens endemic to west Mexico. Usually in small groups, which can be noisy and conspicuous or very quiet and easily overlooked; often with Yellow-winged Caciques. Around the town of San Blas (in Nayarit, Mexico), appreciably larger Purplish-backed Jay occurs at southern end of its range (and northern end of San Blas Jay’s range). Purplish-backed is deep purplish blue on back and tail, not strikingly two-toned blue-and-black like San Blas Jay, and has bright yellow legs. Voices also very different. Purplish-backed occurs in mangroves and adjacent woodlands in and around town while San Blas Jay occurs in foothill forest of coffee plantations south of town.