Chucao Tapaculo

Sparrow-like weaver in which red-hooded breeding males are distinctive, but females and non-breeding females are drab. Madagascar endemic that is found in and adjacent to rainforest, sometimes in flocks that may include other birds. Calls are high, silvery notes, given in long series as a song. Can be very similar to Red Fody. Breeding male Forest Fody lacks red on the back and belly, though molting male Red Fody can match this pattern. Females and non-breeding males very similar, but Forest Fody is darker and more greenish, with a larger bill. Hybrids are also common and further confuse identification. Unlike Red Fody, found in the rainforest interior.

A large duck, generally common and familiar within its extensive range. Males are distinctive with iridescent green head, yellow bill, chestnut breast, and gray body. Females are mottled brown with orange and black splotches on the bill. Found anywhere with water, including city parks, backyard creeks, and various wetland habitats. Often in flocks, and frequently mixes with other duck species. In North America, females can be tricky to distinguish from American Black Duck, Mottled Duck, and Mexican Duck where ranges overlap. Those species are all darker-bodied than Mallard. A good view of the wing can be helpful, too: white wingbars on the leading and trailing edges of the blue wing patch are bolder on Mallard. Frequently hybridizes with those species, which can be even more confusing. Any bird with extensive white in the tail or curled feathers above the tail has some Mallard genes.

A tiny bird of forest and edge from the lowlands to middle elevations in the mountains. Has a fairly long, thin, slightly curved bill, gray sides, whitish coloring from the throat to the belly, and yellowish on the rump, under the base of the tail, and on the edges to the wing feathers. Males have slightly glossy blackish upperparts, whereas females have an olive back and a grayish head. Similar to Scarlet-collared, Black-belted, and Red-keeled Flowerpeckers, but lacks any red on the underparts. Voice includes a typical flowerpecker “tuk!” given regularly, sometimes mixed with a high-pitched piping “tsii!”