Worstbird

A large, slender warbler with a disproportionately long bill, short wings, and a long tail. Face and eyebrow yellowish-buff with a dark eye-stripe and a pale throat. Upper body and wings mostly dark with pale edges to feathers, giving a messy mottled appearance. Some birds are much paler, often almost entirely white with some mottling. An entirely dark sooty morph occurs. Found in riverine and hillside forest with stands of bamboo up to 600 meters of elevation. Song is a long, slow sequence of warbled phrases and “churr” notes. Calls include harsh churring and “tchak” notes.

A tiny, chubby woodpecker that frequents a wide variety of wooded habitats including mangroves. More prone to feed on small branches, even vines, than are larger woodpeckers. Olive-brown above and streaked below, unlike any other species in its range. Male has red on crown that female lacks. Its call is a loud burst of rapid liquid chatter.

A large gray-brown tit with a black-and-white head pattern and a black bib. Pairs and small groups favor dry coastal scrub and Karoo, particularly near rocky outcrops where nest holes are available. It forages for insects in small groups or mixed-species flocks. The song is typically a whistled “piet-tjou-tjou, tudi-tudi-tudi,” with scolding, buzzing, and chattering interspersed. The Ashy Tit is similar to the Gray Tit, but it is colder gray rather than buffy, with whitish wing edgings and a longer tail, and prefers Acacia thornveld habitat.

Striking small wheatear. Males are black and white with some dark markings on central crown and often buff or even brighter orange underparts. Females are almost as dark as males with dark brown and warm tones. Endemic breeder to Cyprus, where it breeds in holes and crevices in a variety of habitats. During migration, found in open, scrubby habitats. Winters in open habitats with sparse vegetation. Smaller and more delicate than similar Pied Wheatear. Song is a remarkable series of high-pitched buzzing notes. Call is a dry “chek, chek.”

A tiny, stub-tailed gray songbird. Has an entirely gray upperside, a bright white throat, and whitish underparts with extensively gray-washed flanks and a white tuft of feathers on the shoulder. Male shows a diagnostic red breast patch. Juvenile resembles a drab female with a pale-based bill. Pairs and singles inhabit canopy of forest and edge in lowland and foothills. Confined to Buru, where it is unmistakable, being the only flowerpecker. Call is a very high-pitched “sit-sit-sit…”. Song is a series of six “see-see-see-see-see-see” notes.