Orange-throated Tanager

A lithe, medium-sized bustard with black daubs on a mostly tan-colored back. The male has a black belly, neck stripe, throat, and face patch. The female is uniform buff-brown from the belly to the head. In flight, both sexes have white windows in the wings. Singles and pairs inhabit tall grassland and grassy savanna. Its strange display involves the male stretching his neck and making a frog-like “kwoork” croak, and as he retracts his head to the shoulders, follows with a “grrrr” growl and champagne-cork-like “pop” while his head lifts again. He also performs an aerial display with the wings held back rigidly and with a puffed throat exposed.

Found only at approximately 1220-2000 meters in the Fan Si Pan Mountains of northwestern Vietnam, this shy and uncommon bird can be difficult to see. Listen for its song, a high descending whistle sometimes followed by or including sharp pipping notes. Calls include a bubbling “ch’lee, ch’lee, ch’lee” and “churr” notes. If seen, note its bright white throat, long bill, short tail, and streaked brown body. Forages on or near the ground, typically in areas with dense undergrowth.

Shy antshrike found in understory of lowland and foothill rainforest. Male is dark gray or black; he also has small white dots on the shoulder and a white line at the bend of the wing, but these features are not always evident in the field. Female is plain brown; on the western edge of the range, she also has a black face, throat, and tail. Usually first detected by voice: song is a soft series of evenly spaced, nasal caws.