Black-bellied Tern

A pugnacious hummingbird that feeds on flowers and insects and is sometimes found flycatching. Inhabits a broad range of habitats. Often tame around humans. The long-tailed male is swathed entirely in iridescent green and has a distinctive red base to the bill, except for a white patch below the belly and a white spot behind the eye. The female is metallic green above, dingy white below, and has a relatively long, forked tail. The female Bee Hummingbird is much smaller, shorter billed, shorter tailed, and is iridescent turquoise above unlike the Cuban Emerald. Female Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have shorter, unforked tails with white on the tail tip. Vocalizations include a prolonged jumbled series of high-pitched squeaks and buzzes and a high-pitched but descending “tsee, tsee, tsee, tse, tse.”

This striking lapwing is best identified by its long yellow wattles, white belly, and gray head split down the center by a broad white crown stripe. In flight, the distinctive wings are almost entirely white with black tips. It prefers breeding and foraging on large permanent rivers with extensive sand banks but will also wander to smaller streams and pans. It utters a loud “kriiip” call when alarmed or defending its territory. The similar Wattled Lapwing differs from White-headed Lapwing by having a dark belly and red-based wattles.

Small, green toucan found only in remote regions along the east slope of the Andes in northern Peru. Most of its cloud forest habitat is currently inaccessible without a serious expedition, so few birders have ever encountered this rare species. Plumage is mostly green with a red rump and tail tip, a white throat, anda blue breast-band. Distinguished from Blue-banded Toucanet by the yellow (not white) streak above the eye and the vertical white stripe at the base of the bill. Mostly black bill and blue breast-band help separate it from Southern Emerald-Toucanet and Chestnut-tipped Toucanet.