Violet-necked Lory

A waterbird with a very long, slender, snakelike neck and a long, pointed bill. Breeding adults have a shiny black body with silvery-white streaks along the wings, a brownish crown and neck, and a white stripe running from the eye to the side of the neck. Nonbreeding and immature plumage is duller and browner. Frequently seen swimming with only its neck and head visible above the water. Impales fish underwater with its daggerlike bill. Like cormorants, often perches upright on a rock, drying itself with outstretched wings. Seen singly or in small groups in inland or coastal water bodies. Frequently soars. Usually silent.

A beautiful multicolored parrot with a dark purple crown, a bright green neck, a red chest and throat, a purple belly, and green upperparts and undertail. The bright yellow bill is obvious. Widespread in most habitats, including towns and gardens. Unique within its range. A typically parrot-like “tzreet” is the most common call, with similar squabbling calls often heard.

Small sleek tanager with distinctive color pattern: pale sandy underparts with peachy blush on breast, black mask, powdery-blue crown, and darker blue back and wings. Sexes alike. Uncommon in second growth, edges, and gardens, where it is most often seen singly or in pairs. Occasionally follows mixed-species flocks. Found from foothills to upper subtropical zone in Andes, sometimes straying even higher. Populations in southeastern South America occur at lower elevations.