Worstbird

Small brownish wren found only on St. Lucia. Drab brown above and white below, with a faint eyebrow, and dark barring on the wings and tail. Generally more arboreal than mainland “House Wrens”, occurring in dense brushy woodland throughout the island. Often perches conspicuously when singing, but otherwise fairly secretive. Listen for loud song of chatters and clearer trills, as well as harsh scolding calls.

This tiny, plump-bodied, big-headed bird is a familiar woodland resident and backyard visitor in the southeastern U.S. The only chickadee in almost all of its range. Gray overall with contrasting head pattern: black cap, white cheek, and black throat. Short, stubby bill is used for hammering open seeds. Often the core of mixed flocks of songbirds. Visits feeders. Nearly identical to Black-capped Chickadee, but range barely overlaps. Especially note voice, duller gray wings, and less buffy coloration on flanks of Carolina. Beware that hybrids occur frequently in the overlap zone and some are best left unidentified.

Bulbul-sized large warbler with a long tail, a stubby bill, and a plain face. Breeds in East Asia; winters in South and Southeast Asia. Structurally similar to Clamorous Reed Warbler but has a shorter, blunter bill, no eye-stripe or brow, different vocalizations, and no particular preference for water. Rather skulky, it keeps to dense grasses, forest edge, and shrubbery. Song is long and complex, consisting of short bursts of high piercing notes, harsh snappy chattering, and mellow warbles. Calls include a hard, fast, continuous arrhythmic “thk…thk, thk, thk” emanating but from the undergrowth.

Nondescript bulbul; olive above and yellow below with an especially pale throat. Like many other bulbuls, manages to be distinctive despite being utterly unremarkable-looking. Inhabits lowland and foothill forests, in both primary and secondary growth. Moves through middle and upper levels of forest in pairs or small flocks, sometimes with other species. Gives rough “wek” and “kwik” calls when foraging, but otherwise fairly quiet.

Tiny flycatcher of dense vine-tangled, woody habitats including forest edges and second growth where it is easily overlooked. Distinctive plumage with a gray crown and a cinnamon face wrapping around a darker ear patch. It is olive above and paler below with two yellowish wing bars. The song is a low and sharp “trrrp” easily mistaken for a frog or an insect.