Steel-blue Flycatcher

Plump ground-dwelling dove, not very colorful compared with other quail-doves. Gray overall, darker brownish on wings, with paler whitish face and dark mustache line. Pinkish-red legs. Iridescent purple patch on back can be difficult to see. Sexes alike. Prefers forests, usually on the ground unless flushed up into the lower levels of a tree. Like most quail-doves, often best seen by quietly walking along trails at dawn and dusk.

Odd and unique member of the waxbill family. Males are yellow and olive-green with a black head; females are olive-green. Both sexes have a pink bill. Males vary geographically in how yellow or olive-green their back is, how much orange they show below, and whether or not they have a yellow collar. Found in and around montane forest, usually in pairs or small groups. Quiet and inconspicuous bird. The call is a sharp “tsik.” Males have a similar pattern to some weavers but are separated by their pink bill. Also similar to orioles, but much smaller.

A distinctive chestnut, white, and black waterbird with a sky-blue bill and enormous feet. The immature lacks the blue bill and shield and is brown-headed. Resident and nomadic, this species trots on the surface of water lilies and other aquatic vegetation, using its long legs and ludicrously elongated toes to prevent it from sinking. It flies weakly, low over the water, with legs and toes dangling behind awkwardly, and calls with a honking repeated “kyaaan” and wheezy hurried “skreeeeeet’--most often in flight. Highly unusual mating system in which one dominant female maintains a harem of multiple males. After egg-laying, each male will raise a brood alone.