Rufous-browed Flycatcher

This tiny, plump-bodied, big-headed bird is a familiar woodland resident and backyard visitor in the northern U.S. and Canada. Gray overall with light buffy flanks and a contrasting head pattern: black cap, white cheek, and black throat. Short, stubby bill is used for hammering open seeds. Often the core of mixed flocks of songbirds. Visits feeders. Nearly identical to Carolina Chickadee, but range barely overlaps. Especially note voice, brighter white on wings, and buffier flanks on Black-capped. Beware that hybrids occur frequently in the overlap zone and some are best left unidentified.

Originally restricted to the Indonesian islands of Java and Bali, this crested myna has since been introduced to Singapore, Taiwan, and various parts of Malaysia and Indonesia. Dark gray overall with a spiffy erect crest and a bright yellowish-orange bill. Darker than Jungle Myna, with which it overlaps in both its native and introduced ranges. Also compare with Crested Myna; note Javan’s brighter bill and white vent. Bold and social, foraging in farms, parks, and gardens. Roosts in large noisy flocks, often close to human habitation.

A large laughingthrush with a heavy black bill. Note black mask on face, yellow throat, and reddish belly. Similar to Yellow-throated Laughingthrush, but Rufous-vented Laughingthrush is bigger and darker above, with contrastingly pale feet. Extremely shy and skulking, it often moves in flocks of ten or more birds, foraging in thick undergrowth and on the ground in evergreen forests. Calls include sweet whistles and chattering.