Worstbird

Slightly smaller version of the familiar cartoon Greater Roadrunner, but usually the two species do not occur in the same places. Favors dry brushy woodland and overgrown weedy fields in tropical lowlands and foothills. Can be very elusive, but at other times runs out in the road or sits quietly sunning itself on a fence post or bush top in the early morning. Note that the center of the throat and breast are plain rich buffy, without the dense dark streaking of Greater Roadrunner.

Inconspicuous flycatcher of Andean cloud forest. Plumage varies geographically but always has a gray head, olive back, and yellow spots on wings that may or may not form distinct wingbars. Underparts are bright yellow in most of its range. In northern and central Colombia, it has a pale gray throat and breast and a yellow belly. Usually found at middle levels of the forest, often with mixed-species flocks. Vocalizations include a series of downslurred notes and a rapid trill.

Small, skulking wren of vine tangles and thickets in tropical lowlands. Like most wrens, heard far more often than seen. Rollicking, ‘happy,’ whistled song is a duet between male and female, keeping them in touch with each other. Rising call note sounds like a finger run along a comb. Plumage is rich rusty brown overall, with white eyebrow and dense black spotting on whitish breast.

This recently described species is known only from a small area of the eastern Andes in northern Peru. Male has a bright red cap and candy-cane striped underparts. Female is very dull with olive upperparts and pale yellow lower underparts; breast is olive with faint white streaks. Very similar to Striolated Manakin, but male has yellow (not red) on the sides of the breast, and red crown does not extend to nape. Females are almost identical. Inhabits lower levels of foothill cloud forest. Call is an inflected squeak given at regular intervals.

Large, long-billed hummingbird restricted to the eastern Andes of Colombia, where it inhabits high elevation cloud forest. Both sexes are clad in iridescent green and gold plumage. Similar to Blue-throated Starfrontlet; male is distinguished by his golden (not purple) belly; female lacks violet on flanks and has a bronzy (not bluish) rump. Prefers long, tubular flowers where often seen feeding nearly vertically, and occasionally visits feeders. Birds from the Perijá Mountains and the Venezuelan Andes are now considered to be separate species, Perija Starfrontlet and Merida Starfrontlet respectively.