Ultramarine Grosbeak

Male distinctive, with long, lyre-shaped tail and white undertail coverts; shows white wing stripe in flight. Female warm brown with heavy dark barring; compare to smaller and rustier Willow Ptarmigan (known in Great Britain and Ireland as “Red Grouse”), which shows a solidly dark tail in flight. In early spring, males gather around dawn to display, fanning their deeply forked tails and fluffing their white undertail coverts while giving a low churring call. Habitat varies throughout range, but generally favors more open forests and forest margins, as well as upland steppes, heathlands, and moors. In southern parts of range, such as the Alps, favors denser forests with conifer stands.

A small, long-billed, long-tailed bird of dense tangled undergrowth in lowland forest. Has olive-green wings, back, and tail, a pale belly, a gray head and chest with streaks, a rufous forehead and mask, and orange legs. Similar in habits and shape to White-browed Tailorbird, but lacks the black head and white brow. Also similar to Phillipine Leaf-Warbler, but has a longer bill and usually cocks its tail. Song is an accelerating series of slightly rising notes ending in a staccato trill.

Rare cacique found very locally in lowland forest in southeastern Peru and extreme SW Brazil, especially near forest-fringed lakes and rivers. Note yellow rump and pale blue eye, which separate it from Solitary Black Cacique. Told from Yellow-rumped Cacique by the yellow being limited to the rump in Selva. No overlap with the closely related Ecuadorian Cacique. It has a varied vocal repertoire, with whistles, metallic squeaks, and various buzzing notes, among other calls.