Worstbird

Tiny bird of forest undergrowth, named for exceptionally broad bill (difficult to see). Very small and short-tailed. Brownish-olive above and pale yellowish below, with black pattern on cheek. Throat and breast uniformly buffy, without contrasting white throat. Crown dull rufous with hidden golden center. Sexes alike. Gives a very high insectlike trill. Usually seen singly or in pairs, always in the lower levels of the forest. Inconspicuous.

Bright blue cotinga of lowland rainforest. Males are pure sky blue, with a purple throat and light eye; females are buffy tan with faint scalloping. Perches in the forest canopy, and it can sometimes be easier to find them when you have a clear view of the canopy, like from a canopy tower, around the edges of a forest clearing, or from a bluff overlooking the canopy. Males are distinguished from the similar Spangled Cotinga by deeper blue plumages, lack of fine dark head streaking, and light yellow eye; females warmer brown than female Spangled Cotinga, which are a colder gray, and often have a pale eye like the male.

A stunning long-tailed waxbill with a red bill, mauve cheeks, and a blue rump. The underparts are vibrant chestnut in the male and cream-buff in the female. Pairs are resident in arid thorn savanna and drier woodlands, where they forage on the ground and lower layers of scrub, often in the company of other finches. The species can be secretive, flying quite a distance when flushed. The Black-faced Waxbill is dark like Violet-eared Waxbill, but it has a red rump, a dark mask, and barred wings. The Purple Grenadier lacks mauve cheeks, and its range does not overlap.

A stunning antshrike, fairly common in open woodland and scrub in northern South America. Male has black head with white hind collar, white belly, brown back, and obvious white spotting on wing. Female is buffy overall with black tail, rufous crown, and buffy wingbars. Both sexes have a bushy crest, which is usually obvious. Some geographic variation across range: males in northern Colombia have grizzled white speckling on face; males in southern Venezuela and northern Brazil are much darker overall. Typically seen in pairs moving through the lower and middle levels; not particularly skulky.

Large, long-billed hummingbird endemic to Colombia’s Santa Marta Mountains. Spectacular male is easily recognized by his brilliant white tail. Female lacks this, but her tawny underparts and lengthy bill still make her easy to ID. Inhabits humid forest at moderately high elevations and feeds on a wide variety of flowers as well as insects and other arthropods. Sometimes visits feeders within El Dorado Nature Reserve.