Banded Honeyeater

Fairly distinctive swift found in northwestern South America. Medium-sized with slightly notched tail. Blackish overall with a white throat and white band across the lower belly. Namesake white tips on tail can be difficult to see. Compare with Andean Swift, which has longer, more sickle-shaped wings, a deeper forked tail, and more extensive white on the breast. White-tipped is typically found in small flocks at fairly high elevations, from around 1,300 to 2,700 m (higher than Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift), and often does not associate with other swift species. Occurs over a variety of habitats including forest and drier, more open areas.

Tiny, disproportionately long-tailed, active, and vocal. The upperparts are gray-brown with heavy dark streaking, the underparts are pale, and each tail feather shows both pale and dark tips. Generally found in rather moist habitats within arid zones, including field margins, riparian woodland, scrub, gardens, and wetlands; can be quite numerous. Very vocal, especially in spring. The song is a rattling series of dry chirps, subtly different from the slower-paced song of Graceful Prinia. Males often sing from obvious perches. Visually extremely similar to Graceful Prinia, but there is little overlap in range. In any areas of overlap, best separated by song, but Delicate is also slightly longer- and narrower-tailed and browner.

A forest barn-owl with rich rufous coloration over its entire body. Particularly note the rufous facial disk and forecrown to aid identification. Juvenile is browner-winged, with speckled gray underparts. Inhabits forest understory within lowlands and mountains, avoiding open country. Confined to Sulawesi. Smaller and more richly rufous-colored overall than Sulawesi Masked-Owl, with a rufous facial disk and forecrown and fewer dark markings on the wings and upperparts. Also note preference for closed-forest habitat. Call is a single long piercing screech: “SHEEEEEEEER.”