Worstbird

Only on Socorro Island, where in danger of extinction due to feral cats and overgrazing. Largely restricted to forest and edge on higher slopes of the island. Note the rather plain gray-brown head and upperparts, narrow whitish wingbars, whitish underparts with faint dusky streaks on the flanks, and narrow paler tail tips. Lacks the big white wing and tail flashes of Northern Mockingbird, which also occurs on the island.

Chunky, long-legged, richly colored bird. White shoulder marks are conspicuous in flight. Elusive and shy; unlikely to be seen by those not searching for it. Found in eastern rainforest, at upper and middle elevations. Feeds in the understory, usually in thick areas, often with bamboo. Avoids disturbance by fleeing on the ground or making short flights. Song is a quick hollow “kwowp” note that is repeated slowly, delivered from a low perch, often a mossy log. Lacks the intricate scaly marks of Scaly Ground-Roller and the pale underparts and complex head pattern of Pitta-like Ground-Roller.

A small widowbird. The breeding male is jet black, with a crimson band across the breast, and a 20-centimeter floppy graduated tail. All-black birds and birds with a reduced crimson band, also occur. The female and non-breeding male have dark streaked upperparts, pale unstreaked or faintly streaked underparts, and a yellowish eyebrow and face, and lack the long tail. Pairs breed in open grassland, savanna, scrub, and cultivated areas. The species may flock, often with other seedeaters, and move locally when breeding is over. Breeding males are distinctive, but non-breeding males and females can be confused with many other species. Can be tentatively identified by lack of red or yellow in the wing, along with a buffy breast that is unstreaked or only lightly streaked.

Drab and unremarkable flycatcher found in the eastern foothills of the Andes in Ecuador and northern Peru. Note grayish-olive upperparts, dingy white underparts, yellow tinge to the belly, and pale wingbars. Yellow crown stripe is usually concealed. Habitat is a good ID clue: it perches low in grassy clearings with scattered bushes and small trees, and never ventures inside forest. Call is an inflected whistle repeated every few seconds, and song is a short, rising trill.

A gregarious babbler with a dark back and underparts spangled with scaly silver markings. At first glance, may resemble a cupwing, but this babbler is much larger and longer-tailed, and does not stick as closely to the ground as cupwings do. Often moves deep in dense shrubbery, but will occasionally forage in the middle layers of the forest as well, scaling trees and creeping along branches.