Worstbird

Large, drab, streaky sparrow of grasslands, second growth, and bare ground. Most distinctive in flight, when it flashes white outer tail feathers. Also note the thin white eyering and rufous shoulder (often hidden). Forages mainly on the ground. Song usually starts with a couple clear introductory notes, followed by a series of trills and chips.

An ebony shadow trailing obsidian tresses. Medium-sized drongo with two extravagantly long tail feathers tipped with plumes, the shape of which vary throughout its range. Glossy black overall with red eyes. Juvenile duller and lacks streamers. Can be confused with the larger Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, but Lesser is crestless and oddly flat-headed, with a more square-ended tail. Inhabits mid- to high-altitude tropical forests, where it forages primarily under closed canopies, not venturing out into the open as frequently as Greater Racket-tailed. Joins mixed flocks. Impressive vocal range, giving highly variable songs that include bouncy hoots, ringing whistles, and harsh nasal notes, among others; also mimics other species.

Large, long-legged, elegantly slender plover of pastures, grasslands, and lakeshore flats. Breeding male is dashing, with a pale (sometimes white) head and a bright orange chest separated from the white belly by a thick black bar. Females and nonbreeding adults are similarly stately but much duller in plumage, with brown upperparts, buffy brownish face and sides of breast, and a white belly. Dark brown underwing coverts separate Oriental from similar, smaller Caspian Plover, which has pale underwings. Flight call a loud, clipped “chip-chip-chip!”

Medium-sized tanager found in the canopy of humid forests where it normally associates with mixed-species flocks. Males are mostly black with an orange-red crest and chin. They have a small white spot on the shoulder and a buffy rump. Females are uniformly olive-brown. Several subspecies vary in the color of the male’s crest, chin, and rump. The song is a fast and high-pitched series of “tsee” notes.

Not the only blue nuthatch, but the bluest nuthatch. Unmistakable, with a dark head, pale eyering, white throat and breast, and dark-lined pale blue feathers on the wings. Gives quick, sharp, nasal “tzwp” or “tzwit” notes. Clambers up and down tree trunks, often in small parties; frequent member of mixed-species foraging flocks. Favors montane and hilly forests.