White-naped Swift

Tiny rail, the size of a sparrow and nearly impossible to see without tremendous effort. Slate gray overall with a piercing red eye, brown nape, and white spotting on wings. Beware confusion with downy young of other rail species, which are entirely black. Inhabits drier areas in fresh and saltwater marshes with cattail, sedge, and other tall grasses. Typically rare even in proper habitat. Incredibly difficult to locate even when vocalizing within mere feet of an observer; stealthily dashes around at the base of dense grass like a ninja. Easiest to detect by its distinctive song, most often heard at night: a churring "kick-ee-derr", two higher notes followed by a lower note.

Rather large thrush, gray-brown above and whitish below with rather rounded dark spots; tail has small white corners, lacking in appreciably smaller Song Thrush. In flight, looks rather pale and grayish overall, especially when compared with dark brownish Song Thrush. Found in a variety of wooded habitats, including parks and moorland with hedges and taller trees. Often feeds on larger lawns and grassy verges, often well away from cover. Sweet and rich-sounding warbled song is similar to that of Eurasian Blackbird, and very unlike Song Thrush. Dry rattle calls are distinctive.

Drab and unremarkable flycatcher found in the eastern foothills of the Andes in Ecuador and northern Peru. Note grayish-olive upperparts, dingy white underparts, yellow tinge to the belly, and pale wingbars. Yellow crown stripe is usually concealed. Habitat is a good ID clue: it perches low in grassy clearings with scattered bushes and small trees, and never ventures inside forest. Call is an inflected whistle repeated every few seconds, and song is a short, rising trill.