Birds of Panama Photo-Gallery
By Charlie • April 29, 2009 • 17 commentsThe following gallery is of over 70 bird species I photographed on a short trip to Panama courtesy of Raul Arias de Para who invited me to stay at the wonderful Canopy Tower, on April 17 and April 18, the morning of April 21, and the Canopy Lodge, April 19 and April 20 (dates are linked to the blogs I wrote on the day).
Taxonomy follows Carlos Bethancourt’s “The Canopy Tower and Canopy Lodge Checklist” (a must-have on trips like this) which is based primarily on the “Seventh Edition of the American Ornithologists Union’s ‘Checklist of the birds of North America 1998′ ” (including revisions up to and including the 48th Supplement in 2007)
In total 219 species were seen well enough to be identified (the full trip list is here), either by myself or - more usually - by the guides (who are world-class) and then seen by myself. I photographed over a third of them (some better than others it has to be said!), and I’ll be adding more images below as I get a chance to format them. Conditions in forests are notoriously difficult to work with, but a good number of species gave reasonable views after some encouragement from the guides via recordings, and many of the birds around both the Canopy Tower and Canopy Lodge are habituated to people. It’s perhaps interesting to note that in less than sixty hours of birding I photographed all six species of Panama’s trogons, eight hummingbirds, three species of wrens, and a number of tanagers (inc Euphonias) and antbirds. A ‘pro’ concentrating primarily on taking photographs would undoubtedly have done even better…
Rufescent Tiger-heron Tigrisoma lineatum
Short-tailed Hawk Buteo brachyurus
Swainson’s Hawks Buteo swainsoni: a very common migrant through Panama
Mississippi Kites Ictinia mississippiensis: a common migrant through Panama
Double-toothed Kite Harpagus bidentatus
Bat Falcon Falco rufigularis
Grey-necked Wood-rail Aramides cajanea
Pheasant Cuckoo Dromococcyx phasianellus
Vermiculated or Choco Screech-owl Megascops guatemalae or M. chocoensis
(There is considerable debate over what taxon the birds at the Canopy Tower are - either Vermiculated or Choco Screech-owls. On call apparently they’re chocoensis…)
Mottled Owl Ciccuba virgata
Common Potoo Nyctibius griseus
Rufous Nightjar Caprimulgus rufus
Long-billed Hermit Phaethornis longirostris
White-necked Jacobin Florisuga mellivora
Long-billed Starthroat (female or immature male?) Heliomaster longirostris
Male Violet-crowned Woodnymph Thalurania colombica
Violet-bellied Hummingbird Damophila julie
Blue-chested Hummingbird Amazilia amabilis
Snowy-bellied Hummingbird Amazilia edward
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird Amazilia tzacati
Female Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer Chalyburia urochrysa
Violaceous Trogon Trogon violaceus
Male Orange-bellied Trogon Trogon aurantiirostris
Male Black-throated Trogon Trogon rufus
Male Black-tailed Trogon Trogon melanurus
Male Slaty-tailed Trogon Trogon massena. This gorgeous bird flew into the laundry room through an open doorway; it left safely again after a few hours.
Broad-billed Motmot Electron platyrhynchum
Rufous Motmot Baryphthengus martii
Tody Motmot Hylomanes momatula
Green Kingfisher Chloroceryle americana
Black-breasted Puffbird Notharchus pectoralis
White-whiskered Puffbird Malacoptila panamensis
Collared Aracari Pteroglossus torquatus
Keel-billed Toucan Ramphastos sulfuratus
Chestnut-mandibled Toucan Ramphastos swainsonii
Crimson-crested Woodpecker Campephilus melanoleucos
Plain-brown Woodcreeper Dendrocincla fuliginosa - much lovelier than it sounds…
Male Western Slaty-Antshrike Thamnophilus atrinucha
Male Dusky Antbird Cercomacra tyrannina
Chestnut-backed Antbird Myrmeciza exsul
Female Spotted Antbird Hylophylax naevioides
Bicoloured Antbird Pteroglossus torquatus
White-bellied Antbird Myrmeciza longipes
Streak-chested Antpitta Hylopezus perspicillatus
Yellow Tyrannulet Capsiempis flaveola
Black-capped Pygmy-tyrant Myiornis atricapillus
Common Tody-flycatcher Todirostrum cinereum
Greater Kiskadee Pitangus sulphuratus
Lesser Kiskadee Philohydor lictor
Streaked Flycatcher Myiodynastes maculatus
Purple-throated Fruitcrow Querula purpurata: a ruby-throated cotinga, otherwise well-named…
Male Golden-collared Manakin Manacus vitellinus
Mangrove Swallow Tachycineta albilinea
Grey-breasted Martin Progne chalybea
House Wren Troglodytes aedon
Black-bellied Wren Thryothorus fasciatoventris
Long-billed Gnatwren Ramphocaenus melanurus
Song Wren Cyphorhinus phaeocephalus
Swainson’s Thrush Catharus ustulatus
Clay-coloured Thrush/Robin Turdus grayi: Costa Rica’s national bird, and abundant in Panama
Male Blackburnian Warbler Dendroica fusca
Rosy Thrush-tanager Rhodinocichla rosea
Grey-headed Tanager Eucomotis penicillata
Tawny-crested Tanager Tachyphonus delatrii
Male Hepatic Tanager Piranga flava
Dusky-faced Tanager Mitrospingus cassinii
Male (top) and Female Lemon (Flame)-rumped Tanager Ramphocelus flammigerus
Blue-grey Tanager Thraupis episcopus
Thick-billed Euphonia Euphonia lanniirostris
Male Golden-hooded Tanager Tangara larvata
Blue Dacnis (male background, female foreground) Dacnis cayana
Female Ruddy-breasted Seedeater Sporophila minuta
Male Yellow-faced Grassquit Tiaris olivaceus
Black-striped Sparrow Arremonops conirostris
All photographs copyright Charlie Moores
Like to visit Panama? It’s not as expensive as you might think. The Canopy Tower’s Stimulus Plan for The International Birder is valid from June 01 to Sept 15, 2009. Details can be found on the Canopy Tower website
I’m skeptical about your Lesser Kiskadee - it looks like a young bird, are you sure of the species?
Geez….
Hi Nick: Definitely a Lesser. The guide picked it up on call before we saw it and it then sat for about ten minutes calling regularly. Does it not look a slimmer, less ‘broad’ bird than the Greater above? I know (as you do of course) that estimating size from a photo is really difficult, but a Greater flew past this bird at one point and dwarfed it…I’ve no idea what a juv Greater looks like but surely it should show some plumage differences? Incidentally, though we saw lots of species collecting nesting material, and the odd bird with young in the nest (the Rufescent Tiger-heron) we saw no juvs at all that I can think of. Have I sort of convinced you, or do you still think it could be a Greater?
I just don’t think you got enough pictures. Go back and get more!
Other than that I can’t say much because I am still picking my jaw up off the floor.
way to go nuclear on the photos Charlie! “A pro” would also be jealous of the quality of any number of these.
On my recent trip to Venezuela one of the things that amazed me was how, in the right conditions, it was possible to rack up at the very least acceptable photos of a big number of neotropical species. I would never get anywhere close to that number in the UK in a similar time even if I was at one of the big reserves where seeing birds was easy.
Wow. Just…. wow!
It’s just that it appears to have a fleshy gape and a fresh, forked, presumably still-growing (as they’re not supposed to be forked I think) tail, which made it jump out in my mind as a fledgling. I don’t think there’s really any useful plumage differences that I can think of between the two species. But if you ID’d it in the field on call, that’s good enough for me. The bill does look thinner than the Greater pictured, but not quite as long relative to the head as I think of Lesser’s as having.
Here’s a top view of a Lesser, I have a non-in-the-hand picture buried somewhere in my Venezuela pictures that I’ll get uploaded:
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa220/slybirdsly/Venezuela/Birds/P1200599.jpg
I don’t doubt your call, I just thought there might be some confusion if it was a young bird.
ID matters aside, this is an AWESOME collection of photos of neotropical birds I really wish I could see! So many missed targets from my previous trips. Rosy Thrush-Tanager, Song Wren, Antpitta… UGH!! What a great trip you had.
Cheers,
Nick
Two more pictures:
An adult Lesser Kiskadee
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa220/slybirdsly/Venezuela/Birds/P1190411.jpg
A fledgling, unknown species
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa220/slybirdsly/Venezuela/Birds/P1190399.jpg
There were six ‘kiskadee-patterned’ flycatcher species at my ranch in Venezuela. It took about a month, but I eventually learned to ID them by shape (Social is the one with the funny, too-small, flattened head, White-bearded has the big puffy head, Lesser Kiskadee has the too-long bill, etc) before getting to the tiny plumage differences or waiting for them to call. Of course, the difficult ID’s in this group are nothing compared to the tyrannulets…
Cheers,
Nick
Glorious photography. Thanks so much for such an introduction to many of these species!
Great shots Charlie, what gear were you using?
Hi Martin: Thanks! I used a handheld Canon 40D and Canon 100-400L IS lens for all of the photos. And a lot of time spent in Photoshop…
Cheers
[...] I believe I’ll be birding somewhere special this weekend but my wife is keeping our destination secret from me. I suppose I could turn up anywhere in the northeast U.S. so if you’re around, keep an eye out! Corey will be making the rounds throughout the NYC Metro area. Look for him too since he’s been getting on some great birds lately. As for Charlie, I’m afraid I have no idea where he’ll be this weekend but if we’re lucky, he’ll bring back awe-inspiring photos like these. [...]
Charlie, Your photos are fabulous! I was there at the Tower when you were, also went to the Lodge, but you saw so many birds I didn’t. I am trilled to be able to see your photos. Gracias, gracias.
Another site for Panama birds from the Canopy Tower/Lodge is http://www.flickr/photos/geoff-e.
Hi Peggy - Of course I remember you and Geoff. How are you both? Thanks for the comments, but having looked at Geoff’s photostream I’m not sure I deserve them! The URL you gave was slightly wrong incidentally - if anyone else wants to see Geoff’s outstanding photos please go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/geoff-e/
Take care and all the best.
Charlie
I’m a little late to the game, but I just wanted to say ‘great photos’ too. I came across this page doing a search for Orange-bellied Trogon pictures to compare with a trogon pic I took very recently in Costa Rica, and found your image very helpful as a confirmation of my ID. Your image’s depiction of the darkness of the head plumage when under the canopy was the key. Then of course I got distracted and started marveling at all the other excellent shots you got of Central American birds, and am now scheming as to how I’m going to get myself to Panama.
Eric, thanks for the kind comments (it’s never ‘late’ to be nice to me incidentally
), and very glad my photo helped. Panama is great - I was really surprised just how good it was actually: if you can get there, you should. Cheers.
[...] bullet ants. I saw leaf-cutter ants. I saw howler monkeys and poisonous frogs. I quadrupled my bird life list in 4 days. I had massive bad hair days in the humidity, was almost killed multiple [...]