Long-wattled Umbrellabird

A unique medium-sized, lightly-built gull, confined to the Red Sea. Upperparts dark brown or gray. The bill is long, slender, and slightly downcurved. Adults have black hood with a prominent white eyering. Young birds are browner with a paler head. Compared to the similar-looking Sooty Gull it is smaller and more delicate with a thinner all-dark bill, and lacks the two-toned bill pattern. Breeds on remote islands and coral reefs; mainly coastal.

Medium-sized plover with a pale throat, brown back, and white belly. Breeding adults have a black mask, white forehead, and a bright orange chest and neck; males average brighter than females. Non-breeding and immature birds are brownish above and white below, with a variable white forehead and eyebrow. Compare with slightly larger Greater Sand-Plover; Siberian is proportionally smaller-headed and darker-legged, and its shorter bill has a slight bulge at the tip. Smaller Kentish Plover can be similar in non-breeding plumage; Siberian is taller and longer-legged, without Kentish’s strong white neck band. Very difficult to distinguish from Tibetan Sand-Plover, especially nonbreeding and immature birds, though identification can often be presumed by range. In breeding plumage, note the less extensive black mask of Siberian, usually with a white spot on the forehead. In nonbreeding plumage, look for a generally stronger breast band and faint brown markings on the flanks in Siberian. In areas of overlap many birds best left unidentified. Breeds mainly in Russian Far East; winters on coastal mudflats and beaches from Taiwan to Australia.

Small hummingbird found from central Panama to southwestern Ecuador. Males are mostly emerald green with a contrasting purple belly. Females are green above with pale grayish underparts. Note relatively short, straight bill in both sexes. Relatively distinctive but could be confused with a woodnymph; look for smaller size and more compact shape with a straighter bill. Found in forests and edges, often feeding on small flowers at lower to middle levels. Visits feeders.