Juba Weaver

Small grayish flycatcher, very similar to other flycatchers, especially Dusky and Gray. Subtle differences include smaller bill with limited pale base, slightly more peaked crown, and longer wingtips. Also note habitat during breeding season: Hammond's prefers mature conifers, often seen higher up in trees than Dusky. Habitat overlaps more with other flycatchers during migration and winter; found in a variety of brushy wooded habitats. Back is greenish with a yellow wash to belly; fall birds in fresh plumage are brighter than spring and summer birds. Voice is key to identification, especially call notes: high-pitched "peek" and whistled "peer." Without an excellent view, silent birds often best left unidentified.

A very slender gray-brown swift with a long, deeply forked tail that is often held closed, making it look needle-like and pointed. The erratic flight pattern, with frequent direction changes and rapid wingbeats on long, scythe-shaped wings, is distinctive. Less gregarious than other swifts; usually found in pairs or small flocks, and association with other swallows and swifts is usually only fleeting. Forages over a wide variety of habitats with palms, including savanna, coastal scrub, towns, villages, cultivated areas, forest edge, and clearings, from sea level up to 1100 meters of elevation, preferring lowlands. Nests and roosts in palms, especially Hyphaene, Bismarckia, and coconut palms. Gives a high-pitched, metallic “tre-tit-tit-tit-tit-tit-tit-tit” call, solitarily or in unison with others. Separated from other swifts by its longer and thinner tail. Further separated from the larger Madagascar Swift by its much weaker and more fluttering flight.

Medium-sized, chunky species with a strong thick bill. Has yellow-olive, cinnamon, and black plumage, duller in females, which also have a black-spotted throat. Found in the canopy of humid forest, often accompanying mixed-species flocks. The call is an incredibly fast series of deep “hoo” notes.