Worstbird

Shy and infrequently seen, rather chunky dove of tropical forests and plantations in the lowlands and foothills. Walks stealthily on the forest floor singly or in pairs. Most often seen as it flushes explosively from underfoot or flies low across a quiet road or trail. Bright ruddy-colored male is distinctive. Female is brown overall with a trace of the male’s facial pattern and has a pale vertical bar on the sides of the breast. Females lack the white tail corners as seen on White-tipped Doves and related species.

The only chickadee in its range: primarily occurs in northern and central Mexico, barely entering the U.S. in the Chiricahua and Animas Mountains. Darker gray body than other chickadees, with black cap, white cheeks, and extensive black throat. Lacks any warm buffy tones. Restricted to mountainous pine forests, often in mixed flocks with other small songbirds. Listen for rather complex gurgling song and harsh call notes.

A common tanager of savannas, forest borders, woodlands, and gardens. Often seen in pairs or with other species at fruiting trees, but usually not with mixed-species flocks. Males have a black face, throat, breast, and belly that is flanked by buffy sides. The crown and back are also buff and the wings and tail are dark-green. Females are buffy below with greenish back and wings, a pale throat, and a faint mask. The northern subspecies has a black mask (lacking the black throat and belly) with a violet gray throat and buffy belly.

An unusual small sparrow of dry country. Males have a yellow head and underparts and a chestnut back. Females are much plainer, sandy brown on the back and pale below with a yellow wash. Found in dry thorn savanna, thorn scrub, and semi-desert. Nests colonially, and usually found in flocks, sometimes large, and sometimes mixed with other bird species. Similar to Arabian Golden Sparrow, but almost does not overlap in range. Male is separated by his chestnut back, and females by being duller and less yellow. The common calls include chirps and chatters.

Small brown warbler of middle elevations, usually retiring and seldom venturing far from the bushes and short trees from which it gives its distinctive song. Rich, dark brown above and paler gray-brown below, with tawny-brown flanks and pale supercilium. Song a resonant, long whistle followed by a short burst of sharp, bright notes, similar to songs of much larger Manchurian and Japanese Bush Warblers but the whistle is much longer and the following notes not as soft and mellow. Endemic Taiwan subspecies (robustipes) sometimes considered species, called Strong-footed Bush Warbler.