Gray-hooded Gull

Shy skulker with golden wings and a long golden tail. Eastern populations in China have a gray head and orange crown, while western populations in far northeastern India and Myanmar have a dark rusty head. Forages on the ground in small flocks in dense brushy understory, sometimes with other laughingthrushes. Song is a repetitive series of inflected notes, including a wolf-whistle-like “whi’wi’er-wee!” and a shorter “whi’wi’eeer!”

A pale terrestrial bird found only in coastal deserts of Peru. It is pale brownish-gray and lacks strong field marks. Very similar to Grayish Miner; Coastal Miner has a wing stripe, though this is only evident in flight. The two species mostly separate out by range, with Coastal Miner favoring the flat coastal plain and Grayish Miner preferring rocky slopes of hills and mountains. Coastal Miner is also similar to Short-tailed Field Tyrant, but lacks distinct wingbars and rump patch, and has a longer tail. Solitary, usually seen running through barren, sandy areas. Occasionally flies up to perch on a rock or bush, and also performs flight displays.

Medium-sized woodpecker found in the subtropical and temperate zones in the Andes from Venezuela to Bolivia. Stunning and unlikely to be mistaken: bright red above and yellow below with obvious pale cheek and dark scalloping on breast. Fairly common but sometimes inconspicuous. Look for singles or pairs following mixed-species flocks, usually in the middle to upper levels of mossy cloud forest. In addition to foraging vertically on trunks in typical woodpecker fashion, seems adept at hitching along smaller horizontal branches.