Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Pipeline Road, Panama • 25 April 2010

Bird name: Semiplumbeous Hawk
Latin: Leucopternis semiplumbea
Other:
Family: Accipitridae • Hawks, Birds of Prey
Range: Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador

The Semiplumbeous Hawk is slate grey on upperside, with red legs and one white band on tail, red ceres and base of bill, black bottom half of bill, orange-yellow irises, white underneath.

This individual was seen at the start of Pipeline Road, in central Panama, high in a tree, late April.

More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Gamboa, Panama • 29 April 2010

Bird name: Crane Hawk
Latin: Geranospiza caerulescens
Other: Gavilán patilargo (Es) • Gavião-pernilongo (Br)
Family: Accipitridae • Hawks, Birds of Prey
Range: Central America to South America

The Crane Hawk is slate grey on upperside, with black face and bill, long red legs and two thick white bands on tail. Red irises, possibly here. This individual was seen on the old Gamboa Road, in central Panama, but against the light unfortunately.
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Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Pipeline Road, Panama • 24 April 2010

Bird name: Swainson’s Hawk
Latin: Buteo swainsoni
Other: Grasshopper Hawk • Gavilán langostero (Es), Gavilán de Swainson
Family: Accipitridae • Hawks, Birds of Prey
Range: North and west US etc (Apr - Sep) to Argentina etc (Nov - Mar)
Similar:

A couple of Swainson’s Hawks were seen migrating northwards at the end of April, one in a large group of Mississippi Kites, near Pipeline Road in central Panama.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Metropolitan Park, Panama • 29 April 2010

Bird name: American Kestrel
Latin: Falco sparverius
Other: Quiriquiri (Br), Falcão-americano • Cernícalo americano (Es), Halconcito colorado
Family: Falconidae • Falcons
Range: Alaska to Argentina

This American Kestrel was sheltering from a downpour in the eves of an amenity building at the Parque Natural Metropolitano in Panama City.

The American Kestrel is a small falcon, widely distributed throughout the Americas.

Other observations: Mostardas, Brazil, November 2009, a pair roosting on the town satellite tower.More photos...

Photos copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Cerro Azul, Panama, 23 April 2010

Bird name: Swallow Tailed Kite
Latin: Elanoides forficatus
Other: Gavião-tesoura (Br) • Elanio tijereta (Es)
Family: Accipitridae • Kites, Birds of Prey
Range:
Similar:

The Swallow Tailed Kite is unmistakable by its long deeply-forked tail and contrasting black and white plumage.

Its range includes much of South America, excluding the southern cone, and extends up through Central America into southern USA.

I was greeted by a close group of about twenty or thirty Swallow-tailed Kites, circling on thermals on Cerro Azul, where these photos were taken on my first morning in Panama. Possibly migrating, though there is a resident population.

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Photos copyright: AW/monacoeye • Do not copy • Iceland • May 2010

Bird name: Arctic Tern
Latin: Sterna paradisaea
Other:
Family: Laridae • Terns
Range: Arctic and sub-Arctic breeding. Migrating to Antarctica.
Similar:

The Arctic Tern is the only Tern seen in Iceland. These were seen out at sea in May.More photos...

Photos copyright: AW/monacoeye • Do not copy • Iceland • May 2010

Bird name: Greater Scaup
Latin: Aythya marila
Other: Scaup
Family: Anatidae • Ducks
Range: Iceland, Northern Europe, some US.

Thanks to Alexia for sending this Scaup photo from Iceland. The Scaup is similar looking to its cousin the Tufted Duck, but is lightly patterned on the top of its back and has no crest. The female is duller and browner, with a white patch at base of bill (see “more photos”)

Scaup breed in Iceland and northern Scandinavia and Russia in the summer, descending mostly to the north Atlantic coastline in the winter.More photos...

Photos copyright: AW/monacoeye • Do not copy • Iceland • May 2010

Bird name: Black Guillemot
Latin: Cepphus grylle
Other: Tystie
Family: Alcidae • Auks, Guillemots
Range: Iceland to Maine, UK, Ireland

The Black Guillemot, is in the Auk family, with Puffins. Recognised here, in summer plumage, by its characteristic white oval wing patches, and red legs. Whitish underwing (see “more photos”).

The Black Guillemot’s range is mostly in the north Atlantic: Iceland, Scandinavia, Scotland etc.More photos...

Photos copyright: AW/monacoeye • Do not copy • Iceland • May 2010

Bird name: Common Guillemot
Latin: Uria aalge
Other: Guillemot, Common Murre
Family: Alcidae • Auks
Range: Iceland, low Arctic circumpolar band, as far south as France for one ssp.

The Guillemot has a black head and wings with some streaking on flanks (especially in winter) and white belly.

The Guillemot is another north Atlantic bird, which breeds in Iceland, parts of Britain and Scandinavia. These ones spotted at sea in Iceland.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Alpes Maritimes May 2010

Bird name: Blue Rock Thrush
Latin: Monticola solitarius
Other: Monticole bleu (Fr)
Family: Muscicapidae • Old World Flycatchers
Range: Mediterannean rim, northern mostly, through central Asia to China and Malaysia.
Habitat: Rocky, steep, mountainous.

Nice to see this Blue Rock Thrush in the same spot that I saw it in February last year.

The Blue Rock Thrush, which is a chat, not a thrush, prefers rocky, mountainous habitats.
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Photos copyright: TC/monacoeye • Do not copy • Valle de Anton • 3 May 2010

Bird name: Common Potoo
Latin: Nyctibius griseus
Other: Grey Potoo, Lesser Potoo • Urutaú menor (Es) • Urutau-comum (Br)
Family: Nyctibiidae
Range: Costa Rica to Argentina

A chip off the old block - a Common Potoo and chick doing a very convincing impression of a piece of wood. The adult will have a laid a single egg, which has now hatched, in a depression in the top of this stump.

When Common Potoos hear a potential predator approach they adopt this freeze position, very slowly, which serves as even better camouflage than their usual pose.

Potoos are in the Caprimulgiformes order with the Nightjars and Frogmouths, but have their own family the Nyctibiidae with a single genus with seven species, which all live in tropical Central and South America. They hunt insects from a perch at night.


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Photos copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Semaphore Hill • 26 April 2010

Bird name: Great Potoo
Latin: Nyctibius grandis
Other: Urutau-grande (Br) Mãe-da-lua-gigante
Family: Nyctibiidae
Range: Guatemala to Brazil

This Great Potoo was seen in the Soberania National Park in central Panama, high on a limb near the main road. The species is found in most of tropical Central and South America from Guatemala to southeastern Brazil.

At 50-60 cm, the Great Potoo is the largest of the seven Potoos, and the largest bird in its order. It is nocturnal, preying on large flying insects and sometimes bats. It’s very well camouflaged during the day and difficult to spot.

Slightly reminiscent of Lewis Caroll’s Cheshire Cat.
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© TC/monacoeye • Do not copy • Valle de Anton • 1 May 2010

Bird name: Crested Owl
Latin: Lophostrix cristata
Other: Coruja-de-crista (Br)
Family: Strigidae • Owls
Range: Mexico to Brazil
Similar:

The Crested Owl is a large owl with long whitish ear tufts, and fine mottled barring on chest.

It is the only member of the Lophostrix genus and found in tropical Central and South America from southern Mexico to northwestern Brazil. This individual was seen in El Valle de Anton in central Panama.More photos...

© monacoeye • Do not copy • Pipeline Road • 24 April 2010

Bird name: Spectacled Owl
Latin: Pulsatrix perspicillata
Other: Búho de antifaz (Es), Oropopo, Lechuzón • Murucututu (Br), Murucutu
Family: Strigidae • Owls
Range: Mexico to Argentina
Similar:

This Spectacled Owl was very difficult to see and focus on, perched inside a hollow in the canopy in almost total darkness. This large owl will sometimes prey on the much larger three-toed sloth.

This individual was seen off the Pipeline Road in central Panama. The Panamanian subspecies is Pulsatrix perspicillata chapmani. Spectacled Owls live from southern Mexico and Trinidad to southern Brazil and northwestern Argentina.More photos...

© monacoeye • Do not copy without permission • Regua, Brazil • September 2011

Bird name: Ferruginous Pygmy Owl
Latin: Glaucidium brasilianum
Other: Caburé chico (Es) • Caburé (Br)
Family: Strigidae • Owls
Range: Arizona to Argentina, incl Brazil
Similar:

This is a terrible photo, but was taken in heavy mist which I’ve tried to compensate for, without much success, in Photoshop. You can see the belly markings though.

Ferruginous Pygmy Owl is found throughout most of Central and South America, bar Chile, its range stretching from Arizona in the US.More photos...

© TC/monacoeye • Do not copy • Valle de Anton • 27 April 2010

Bird name: Mottled Owl
Latin: Ciccaba virgata
Other: Coruja-do-mato (Br)
Family: Strigidae • Owls
Range: Mexico to Argentina
Similar:

Thanks again to Tom for sending me his shot of the Mottled Owl which we didn’t manage to see in El Valle, Panama.

The Mottled Owl has no ear-tufts and is strictly nocturnal.
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Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Iguaçu 2006 - Panama 25 April 2010

Bird name: King Vulture
Latin: Sarcoramphus papa
Other: Urubu-rei (Br) • Zamuro rey (Es)
Family: Cathartidae • Vultures

The King Vulture is the only vulture with a thick black rear wing band - the rest is white. And he has a distinctive colourful head. The range of the King Vulture extends through much of South and Central America, up to the Yucatan peninsula.

The bird in flight was seen from the top deck of the Canopy Tower in central Panama in April.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • West of Panama Canal • 30 April 2010

Bird name: Common Nighthawk
Latin: Chordeiles minor
Other: Atajacaminos común (Es), Añapero yanqui (!) o boreal • Bacurau-norte-americano (Br) • Bullbat
Family: Caprimulgidae • Nightjars

The Common Nighthawk breeds in North America and spends the northern winter in South and Central America.

This male (male has white throat and tailband, female brown) was seen about 100 km west of the Panama Canal at the end of April.

The Common Nighthawk can be differentiated in photos from the Lesser Nighthawk only with difficulty, especially when it is lying on a branch.

The telltale clues are the staggered white wingbar (usually squarer in the Lesser Nighthawk) which is also said to be proportionally higher up the wing in the Common. The Common Nighthawk also lacks the buff spots of the Lesser above the white wingbar on the primaries. And the general colouring is more contrasty than the Lesser. The Common Nighthawk is larger than the Lesser Nighthawk, despite the Latin minor species name.

Common Nighthawks lay their eggs on bare ground and hunt for insects on the wing at dusk or night. They can be seen lying on horizontal branches during the day.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Summit Gardens • 27 April 2010

Bird name: Lesser Nighthawk
Latin: Chordeiles acutipennis
Other: Atajacaminos (Es), Chotacabras • Bacurau-de-asa-fina (Br)
Family: Caprimulgidae • Nightjars

The Lesser Nighthawk is found from the southwestern United States all the way to Brazil. This individual was seen east of the Panama Canal in Summit Gardens, at the end of April.

The Lesser Nighthawk can be differentiated in photos from the Common Nighthawk by the staggered white wingbar in the Common, which is usually squarer in the Lesser Nightjar, and which is also said to be proportionally higher up the wing in the Common. The Common Nighthawk also lacks the buff spots of the Lesser Nighthawk above the white wingbar on the primaries. The general colouring of the Common is more contrasty than the Lesser. The Lesser Nighthawk is smaller than the Common Nighthawk, with a less deeply forked tail.

Lesser Nighthawks usually nest on bare ground and hunt for flying insects at dusk or night. They often spend their days sitting on branches.

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Pipeline Road, Panama • 24 April 2010

Bird name: Rufous Nightjar
Latin: Caprimulgus rufus
Other: João-corta-pão (Br)
Family: Caprimulgidae • Nightjars

The Rufous Nightjar is found from Costa Rica to Argentina.

This individual was sitting on a chick (not really visible here) in its “nest” on the ground, near Pipeline Road, east of the Panama Canal at the end of April. I think the chick might be the second patch of white on the chest.

It was very well camouflaged on the canopy floor of fallen leaves, and characteristically very difficult to spot even when looking straight at it.

More photos...

I’ve removed the “Passeriformes” tag from entries, and its corresponding page. The latter had hundreds of entries so was slow to load and it was difficult to find a particular bird on it. Until Google deindexes the page, if you’ve arrived from Google and not found the bird you are looking for, please search the Alphabetical index linked on the left (updated every month or so), or look in the families of birds further down on the left of the page, which are always up-to-date. Thanks!