Pygmy Cuckooshrike

Chunky brown songbird with a weak crest, typically found on the ground in open fields and meadows. Darker above than below, with fine black streaking on the chest and light chestnut ear coverts with dark border. Very similar to Eurasian Skylark, with which it shares much of its range, but Oriental has buffy, not white, outer tail edges and trailing edge of wing. Breeding males “skylark,” singing a series of variable notes while hovering high above the territory.

Small, active tanager with notably different male and female plumages. Male is steely blue overall with slightly darker wings. Look for sea-green throat and cheek, streaked upper breast, and contrasting black cap and nape. Female is mostly lime green with pale bluish head and breast; she has just a ghosting of the male’s black cap. Usually found in pairs, often following a mixed-species flock in the canopy. An Andean species, found in subtropical forest, edges, and gardens. Visits fruit feeders.

A small kingfisher with bright azure-blue upperparts and a gleaming white underside. Female shows a diagnostic blue chest band. Male is entirely white underneath with a white collar. White wing patches visible in flight. Juveniles has rufous spot beside bill and rufous collar and flanks. Typically found in pairs in open wooded country, plantations, degraded forest and forest edge in the lowlands and foothills, avoiding dense forest. Male lacks green tones above and has an all-dark bill, unlike the larger Collared Kingfisher. Call is a short, strident “rit-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-rit.”