Yellow-breasted Tailorbird

A drab sparrow of northeastern Africa. The head and underparts are gray, the wing and back are brown, and the rump is rufous. Generally common within its range in all habitats except closed-canopy forest. Fond of human habitation. Very similar to Northern Gray-headed Sparrow, but there is little overlap in range, and Swainson’s has darker underparts. Also very similar to Parrot-billed Sparrow, but slightly smaller and slimmer-billed, with paler underparts. The call is a ringing “churp.” 

Handsome and unmistakable thrush. Male is gray overall, whereas female is suffused with rusty cinnamon-brown. On both sexes, note prominent black bib, slender black mask which wraps around the back of the head, and black wingtips. Endemic to Borneo’s highlands, where it wanders nomadically through submontane and montane forests in search of fruiting trees. Often encountered in pairs or small groups, foraging at middle and lower storeys of forest. Generally quiet; gives high thin “tsiiiii.”

Fairly common on western slopes of the Andes and in interior valleys, favoring drier habitats with weedy brush on rocky slopes, and also agricultural areas with hedges and thickets. Often in pairs, foraging low in weedy brush, where can be hard to see well; agile and often active, clinging upside down at tips of branches. Identified by boldly streaked crown and back, weakly patterned or mostly plain underparts, and very long spiky-tipped tail. Compare with the bulkier Andean Tit-Spinetail (local overlap in Peru).