Gray-lored Broadbill

Small rail of grassland habitats. Very shy and elusive bird that is unlikely to be seen unless expressly searched for. Male has a rufous head and black body with heavy white streaks. Female is dark brown with barring below. Found mainly in seasonally flooded grassland, and sometimes in drier grassland. Main call is a simple, repeated hoot. Also gives quicker series of calls with a similar quality. Similar to Striped and Red-chested Flufftails, but males have more white below, with less rufous on the chest than Red-chested, and more than Striped. Females are darker below.

Chunky, mid-sized rail. Note the black-and-brown scalloped back, gray head and chest, barred belly, reddish bill and yellowish legs. Found in mostly seasonal wetlands, such as flooded grassland. Most often seen trailing its long legs when it flushes from grass before quickly settling back down. Two common vocalizations are a series of dry “krrr” notes and a series of deeper “du-da” notes. Similar color pattern to African Rail, but African Crake has a shorter bill and a spotted back.

Mid-sized, generic-looking warbler-like bird. Males have a glossy blue-black back, a white wing patch, and pale yellowish underparts. Females are similar, but more gray-brown on the back. Found in savanna with broadleaf trees, including miombo and Guinea savanna. Usually in pairs or small groups, which will join mixed-species feeding flocks. The quiet vocalizations include chatty calls and trills. Very similar to Southern Hyliota. In most of the range, Yellow-bellied males distinguished by the longer white patch on the wing, and females by their grayer upperparts. In Uganda and Kenya, males are extremely similar, but Yellow-bellied can still be recognized by its more glossy blue-black back.