Sooty Ant-Tanager

Very large wren restricted to coastal plain of Chiapas and adjacent Guatemala. Favors open and semiopen areas with hedges, scattered large trees, stone walls, and thickets; often in and around villages and in gardens of small farms. Forages from the ground to the canopy of palm trees, mainly at low to middle levels. Occurs alongside somewhat smaller, but rather similar rufous-backed form of Rufous-naped Wren. Note Giant’s plain rufous back and wings and rufous tail (Rufous-naped Wren has boldly barred wings andblackish tail). Despite large size, can be elusive, like all wrens.

A large gray-and-brown francolin with bare red skin on the throat and around the eyes. Also note the red bill, the dark gray legs, and the chestnut, buff, and black markings along the sides of the belly. Pale patches in the outer wings are conspicuous in flight. Found in fairly dry thorn savanna, woodland, and thickets, usually in pairs or small groups. Similar to Red-necked Francolin, but there is little overlap in range, and separated by the brown legs and many plumage details. Also similar to Yellow-necked Francolin, but easily separated by the red or sometimes orange (rather than yellow) throat. The call is a fading series of grating “kreaaak” notes. 

Attractive antbird with a short tail. Males have uniform gray backs, white-gray underparts, and a black face, while females have cinnamon backs and may have a black mask. Note that both sexes lack conspicuous wing markings. Found in the understory of forest near rivers and on river islands, where it forages on the ground, usually apart from mixed-species flocks. The song is a long series of descending clear notes, finishing with harsher notes.