Copyright: monacoeye • Semaphore Hill, Panama, April 2010 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Black Breasted Puffbird
Latin: Notharchus pectoralis
Other:
Family: Bucconidae • Puffbirds
Range: Panama, Colmbia, NW Ecuador

This Black-breasted Puffbird was seen here on Semaphore Hill, the approach road to the Canopy Tower, sitting patiently on a bough overlooking the road. He was still there when I left.

Black-breasted Puffbirds have a broad black band across the chest which connects up to the eye, and white throat, differentiating them from other similar Puffbirds.More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Pipeline Rd, Panama, April 2010 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: White Whiskered Puffbird
Latin: Malacoptila panamensis
Other: Buco bigotiblanco (Es)
Family: Bucconidae • Puffbirds
Range: SE Mexico through to Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, W Ecuador
Similar:

We saw a couple of White-whiskered Puffbirds while in Panama. They don’t move around much so are relatively easy to photograph.

These were on Semaphore Hill, near Canopy Tower, and Pipeline Road in the canal zone of central Panama.

They have conspicuous white whiskers around the bill, red irises, and a streaked underparts and tawny chest. The lower half of the bill is light yellowish green.

See comments below for an individual in Silanche, NW Ecuador.More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • El Valle, Panama, May 2010 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Spot Crowned Antvireo
Latin: Dysithamnus puncticeps
Other:
Family: Thamnophilidae • Antbirds
Range: Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, NW Ecuador

A female Spot-crowned Antvireo, seen here in El Valle de Anton in Panama.

Copyright: monacoeye • Ammo Ponds, Panama, May 2010 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Barred Antshrike
Latin: Thamnophilus doliatus
Other:
Family: Thamnophilidae • Antbirds
Range: Panama

The Barred Antshrike has a very distinctive, quizzical look, barred head and body, dark above, light below, with a large crest, pale yellow irises, and slight overbite.

We only saw males, which are black and white. Females are rufous above, buffy below, with rufous crest, and black and white face.

The Barred Antshrike is one of the most easily seen antbirds. We saw these individuals around Gamboa in the canal zone of Central Panama, at the Ammo Dump and near the Gamboa Rainforest Resort.

More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Pipeline Rd, Panama, April 2010 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Dot Winged Antwren
Latin: Microrhopias quixensis
Other: Velvety Antwren
Family: Thamnophilidae • Antbirds
Range: Panama, S Mexico to S Amazonia

The Dot-winged Antwren was probably the easiest to see of the Antwrens in Panama, as they will appear beside forest paths in fairly open understory. These were all seen beside the Pipeline Road in central Panama.

But they are still very hard to photograph as they move around at a frenetic pace in tangled branches. Photos below show them collecting nesting material and a spider.

The female, above, is the colourful one with rufous underparts and the rest dark except for white dots and white band on the wings and white tips to tail feathers. The male has the same white markings, but is otherwise completely black.

Both are very beautiful birds to look at, one of my favourites from Panama - still hope one day to get some really sharp shots!

More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Canopy Tower, Panama, April 2010 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Dusky Antbird
Latin: Cercomacra tyrannina
Other:
Family: Thamnophilidae • Antbirds
Range: SE Mexico through Panama to N Amazonia

This was almost certainly a female Dusky Antbird, seen beside Semaphore Hill, the approach road to Canopy Tower in Panama.

The male, which is all grey, with some white on the wing edges, was nearby in the undergrowth. The female is orange rufous underneath and brown above. Quite a long bill.More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Pipeline Road, Panama, April 2010 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Fasciated Antshrike
Latin: Cymbilaimus lineatus
Other:
Family: Thamnophilidae • Antbirds
Range: Panama, SE Honduras through Amazonia

We had a quick look of this male Fasciated Antshrike, on the Pipeline Road in central Panama.

It is narrowly barred throughout with a large overbite and red irises. More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Chiriqui, Panama, May 2010 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: White Flanked Antwren
Latin: Myrmotherula axillaris
Other: Choquinha-de-flancos-brancos (Br)
Family: Thamnophilidae • Antbirds
Range: Panama, SE Honduras through Amazonia

The White-flanked Antwren looks somewhat similar to the Dot-winged Antwren but has lacks the broad white band on the wings and has an additional white patch on its flank.

It has a large range from Honduras to Brazil, seen here on the Plantation Road near the Canopy Lodge in central Panama.

Lovely bird! More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Pipeline Road, Panama, April 2010 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Western Slaty Antshrike
Latin: Thamnophilus atrinucha
Other: Split from Slaty Antshrike, T. punctatus
Family: Thamnophilidae • Antbirds
Range: S Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, NW Venezuela, NW Peru

The male Western Slaty Antshrike is dark grey with white wing and tail markings, and the female is brown with similar white markings.

I saw them on a couple of occasions in central Panama on Pipeline Road and Plantation Road.

More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Chiriqui, Panama, May 2010 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Streak Chested Antpitta
Latin: Hylopezus perspicillatus
Other: Spectacled Antpitta • Tororoi Pechirrayado (Es)
Family: Grallariidae • Antpittas
Range: Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, N Ecuador

This Streak-chested Antpitta was walking around on the dark forest floor near Pipeline Road in Central Panama.

It has no tail to speak of, a light eye ring, and strong, widely-spaced streaks on chest down flanks.More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Pipeline Rd, Panama, April 2010 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Spotted Antbird
Latin: Hylophylax naevioides
Other:
Family: Thamnophilidae • Antbirds
Range: Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, W Ecuador

The Spotted Antbird is a small bird with a richly marked plumage and light chest.

As with all antbirds, fast moving and difficult to photograph in the dense forest undergrowth. We saw them in the forest understory near Pipeline Road and Plantation Road in central Panama.More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Itatiaia, November 2009 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Ferruginous Antbird
Latin: Drymophila ferruginea
Other: Formigueiro-trovoada (Br)
Family: Thamnophilidae • Antbirds
Range: SE Brazil

This was likely a Ferruginous Antbird, or possibly Bertoni’s Antbird, D. rubricollis, which was once considered conspecific. Endemic to Brazil, seen here in Itatiaia.

Copyright: monacoeye • El Valle, Panama, May 2010 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Slaty Antwren
Latin: Myrmotherula schisticolor
Other:
Family: Thamnophilidae • Antbirds
Range: Panama, SE Mexico to N Venezuela & Peru

Just a record shot of this fast-moving Slaty Antwren in El Valle de Anton in Panama.

Copyright: monacoeye • Chagres, Panama, April 2010 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Great Antshrike
Latin: Taraba major
Other: Choró-boi (Br)
Family: Thamnophilidae • Antbirds
Range: Panama, E Mexico to N Argentina

The photo above pretty well sums up the typical view of many antbirds in Panama!

We couldn’t entice this male Great Antshrike out of his dense thicket, but he was easily recognisable by the bright red iris, white underparts and black upperparts.

The female is rufous not black.

We saw this individual in the canal zone of central Panama, near the Gamboa Rainforest Resort.More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Pipeline Rd, Panama, April 2010 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Chestnut Backed Antbird
Latin: Myrmeciza exsul
Other:
Family: Thamnophilidae • Antbirds
Range: Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, W Ecuador

Just a record shot of this Chestnut-backed Antbird, seen on the Pipeline Road in Panama. Dark with blue eyering.More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Pipeline Rd, Panama, April 2010 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Checker Throated Antwren
Latin: Epinecrophylla fulviventris
Other: Fulvous-bellied Antwren
Family: Thamnophilidae • Antbirds
Range: SE Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, W Ecuador

Just a fleeting glimpse of this Checker-throated Antwren on the Pipeline Road in the Panama canal zone.More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Chiriqui, Panama, May 2010 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Ruddy Treerunner
Latin: Margarornis rubiginosus
Other:
Family: Furnariidae • Ovenbirds
Range: Costa Rica and western Panama highlands

A very cute-looking young Ruddy Treerunner, above, which was following its parent around, hopping from tree trunk to tree trunk in the dark montane rainforest in the Volcan Baru National Park in Chiriqui, above Guadalupe, in Panama. It wasn’t quite as speedy as its parent though, allowing me to focus for once!

The adult is rufous with white supercilium. In the large ovenbird family, which includes woodcreepers and spinetails.

Not very common, and in Panama only found in the western highlands.

More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • El Valle, Panama, April 2010 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Brown Billed Scythebill
Latin: Campylorhamphus pusillus
Other:
Family: Furnariidae • Scythebills
Range: Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, N Peru, Venezuela, Guyana

Scythebills are like woodcreepers with very long curved bills. This Brown Billed Scythebill was in a dark, leafy part of the forest near El Valle de Anton, so we had real difficulty seeing him and even more difficulty photographing him, but he is known for being rather rare and elusive so we were pleased to have made the sighting. Great looking bird.More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Chiriqui, Panama, May 2010 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Red Faced Spinetail
Latin: Cranioleuca erythrops
Other:
Family: Furnariidae • Spinetails
Range: Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, W Ecuador

In Panama, the Red-faced Spinetail is only found in the western and eastern highlands. This individual was seen in the mountains in Volcan Baru National Park, in Chiriqui, western Panama. Identifiable by rufous head, wings and tail with greyish shoulders, throat and underparts. He wasn’t shy and seemed genuinely curious and territorial. He must have been nest-building near the path we were walking on, near the forest border.More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Canopy Tower, Panama, April 2010 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Plain Xenops
Latin: Xenops minutus
Other:
Family: Furnariidae • Xenops
Range: S Mexico, Central America, Panama, to Amazonia, SE South America

Just recognisable as a Plain Xenops, from the characteristic upturned bill. Light supercilium and white malar streak. Spotted on a very misty day, from the top of the Canopy Tower observatory in central Panama.

Copyright: monacoeye • Finca Hartmann, Panama, May 2010 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Streak Headed Woodcreeper
Latin: Lepidocolaptes souleyetii
Other:
Family: Furnariidae • Woodcreepers
Range: Panama, S Mexico to Guyana & NW Peru

We saw Streak-headed Woodcreepers at Finca Hartmann in western Panama. They were easy to see, not overly shy, at the edge of open ground on low trunks, and let me approach for photos. Streaked head and neck and underparts. Light bill.More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Panama, April 2010 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Cocoa Woodcreeper
Latin: Xiphorhynchus susurrans
Other: Formerly ssp of Buff-throated Woodcreeper, X. guttatus
Family: Furnariidae • Woodcreepers
Range: Panama, E Guatemala to N Venezuela

The Cocoa Woodcreeper was the woodcreeper most frequently encountered in Panama. Head and neck are streaked, but not belly. Bill long and dark.More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Panama, April 2010 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Plain Brown Woodcreeper
Latin: Dendrocincla fuliginosa
Other:
Family: Furnariidae • Woodcreepers
Range: Panama, SE Honduras to Amazonia, E Brazil

We saw Plain Brown Woodcreeper on Plantation Road, not far from Canopy Tower, in the Canal zone of central Panama. Really just plain brown, with few markings.More photos...