Gray Friarbird

A small, quiet bird with a distinctly silky, smooth-feathered appearance. Shape and pattern unique and unmistakable; note thick black stripe behind eye, dark wings with a glossy blue-and-black panel, and broad-based silvery bill. Usually moves around through the middle layers of foothill and montane forest. Does not often join mixed-species foraging flocks, instead tending to stick to medium-sized groups of its own species. Sometimes gives a smooth, fluid ‘teelee!’Formerly treated as a subspecies of Silver-breasted Broadbill.

Small, skulking wren of foothills and lowlands in southern Mexico and Central America. Found in forest edges, second-growth thickets, and brushy fields with cane grass. Heard more often than seen: song relatively short with bright phrases usually repeated a few times in quick succession. Note the bold white eyebrow, whitish breast, rich buffy flanks, and bright rusty tail barred black. Formerly known as Plain Wren.

A large, long-tailed bird of montane forest with a long, curved bill. Male has black upperparts with some iridescence, brown underparts and very long tail. Female is brown above with rufous crown, barred belly and black face. Male does an astonishing display, where two articulated fans are lifted above the head and the whole body is swayed up and down. Similar to Black Sicklebill, but Brown is usually found at higher elevations and has a pale blue eye. Male has brown and female a barred chest. Voice, sounds scarily like short bursts of a machine gunfire.