Blue-breasted Blue Flycatcher

Stocky beast of a falcon; ranges in color from strikingly white to silvery-gray to dark sooty-brown. Relatively long tail and broad wings with powerful flight. Generally darker above and paler below, with markings on the belly ranging from small and crisp to big and chunky. Breeds on cliffs on Arctic tundra; winters in large open areas. Scarce even on breeding grounds. Bulkier and shorter-winged than Peregrine Falcon with a more diffuse face pattern and silvery undersides on flight feathers. Feeds on birds and mammals.

A typical martin with brown upperparts and pale underparts strongly marked with dark streaks. Juvenile is rustier, with a paler chin and throat, and is less boldly streaked below. Resident and restricted to forest-fringed rivers between south Congo and central Angola, breeding in small groups in sandbanks. Despite being fairly common, the species’ vocalizations are unknown. No other martins within its range are streaked below.

Well-named seedeater found in arid scrub and adjacent farmland in western Peru and southwestern Ecuador. Its best field marks are the distinct wingbars and bill color (pinkish on breeding males, nearly black on other individuals). Bill is smaller and less bulbous than that of Parrot-billed Seedeater. Sometimes found alone, but loose flocks may converge on areas with abundant food, such as fields of seeding grass. Males often sing a short series of buzzy notes.