Ash-throated Casiornis

Small active warblerlike tanager with sharply pointed bill. Male blue with thin black mask, black throat and back. Female also distinctive, body entirely lime green with mostly blue head. Usually seen in pairs or small groups in the canopy of lowland and foothill forests, edges, and secondary growth. Often follows mixed feeding flocks. Feeds on fruit.

A recently recognized species with a dark greenish back, brighter bluish-green wings, a dark face-mask, a greenish cap, a white collar, and a buffy-orange spot in front of the eye. Bill relatively weak and thin. Found in most habitats, but mainly coastal, preferring mangroves. Very similar to Pacific and Sacred Kingfishers but smaller, with a straighter, less curved bill than both. Lacks buffy underparts of Sacred Kingfisher. Voice little known, but presumably similar to Pacific Kingfisher’s.

Attractive francolin that is critically endangered and confined to a corner of Djibouti. The back is gray and the neck and underparts are heavily marked with rufous and gray. Also note the rufous cap and black face mask and eye-line. Found locally in woodland of juniper, acacia, and fig trees, at middle elevations. The common vocalization is a long, accelerating series of “krek” notes. Similar to Erckel’s Francolin, but doesn’t overlap in range.