Pygmy Cuckooshrike

A big, chunky, relatively colorful rainforest greenbul. Mostly olive-green, with a reddish tail and a mostly gray head. The throat feathers are long and often puffed out; they are rich yellow in most of the range, but pale yellow in Nigeria. Found in the understory and at middle levels of rainforest and gallery forest. Usually in small, noisy groups that often join mixed flocks. Similar to Yellow-bearded Greenbul, but larger, with a puffier throat and some gray in the plumage. Similar to Red-tailed Greenbul, but larger, and never shows a pure white throat. Somewhat similar to Icterine Greenbul, but larger, and much darker on the breast and belly. The loud and distinctive call is a rising, two-part “truwa-treeeaa.”

Mid-sized, big-billed, colorful kingfisher. Adults have an all-red bill and a pale gray head. Found in mangroves, coastal forest, woodland, and scrub. Loud call is an introductory note followed by a “bouncing ball” series of wooden trills. Woodland Kingfisher is similar, but Mangrove is separated by its grayer head and all-red bill. Immatures of the two species are very similar, but Mangrove usually shows a red bill with a black tip, as opposed to a mostly black bill in Woodland.

Medium-sized crake with dense whitish spotting and speckling on the neck and breast. Also note greenish legs and short yellow bill with a reddish base. Breeds in freshwater marshes and wet meadows with dense vegetation cover, but migrants and wintering birds may also be found in ephemeral wetlands and brackish marshes. Retiring and rarely seen, but sometimes comes out at muddy edges, mainly early and late in the day. Song is a series of repeated “huit, huit, huit” notes.