Purple-backed Sunbeam

Medium-sized and typically noisy foliage-gleaner with an olive-brown back, buff underparts, a white throat, and a rusty tail. Found mainly in humid lowland forest, often near streams, but also sometimes in seasonally flooded forests. Forages from the understory to middle levels. Acrobatically looks for food by gleaning dead leaves, and often accompanies mixed-species flocks.

In breeding range, this large, long-billed songster of expansive reedbeds can often be seen perched on top of a stalk belting its heart out, but on wintering grounds, it is more likely to be detected by a harsh, grating rattling from deep within the vegetation. Unremarkably plumaged, brown above, paler below, with a weak white supercilium and a short bristly crest, occasionally raised. Compare with other large reed warblers, especially Clamorous Reed Warbler.

Plump, mostly terrestrial bird with long legs and a short tail found at high elevations in the eastern Andes of southern Peru. Plumage is mostly chestnut brown but is slightly paler on the belly. Similar to Leymebamba Antpitta, but larger, longer legged, and lacks gray in the plumage. The white eyering helps to separate it from Ayacucho Antpitta. Voice is also very helpful for ID; depending on location, it gives either three quick whistles with a pause after the first, or just two whistles. Also sometimes sings a longer, decelerating series of around ten notes. Usually stays well-hidden on or near the forest floor. Formerly considered a subspecies of what used to be called Rufous Antpitta.