Canopy Lodge
Red Legged Honeycreeper
28 January 2012 22:25
Copyright: monacoeye • All rights reserved • Panama, May 2010
Bird name: Red Legged Honeycreeper
Latin: Cyanerpes cyaneus
Other: Mielero dorsioscuro, Mielero patirrojo (Es) • Saíra-beija-flor, saí-azul-de-pernas-vermelhas (Br)
Family: Thraupidae • Tanagers, Honeycreepers
Range: Mexico to Brazil
Similar:
The Red-legged Honeycreeper was a typical fruit feeder bird in Canopy Lodge, El Valle, Panama, and also seen in forest outskirts.
The male (above) has bright red legs, electric blue cap, sometimes crested, black eye mask, and the rest intense blue. The female, directly below, is greenish with reddish legs.
Below, female Red-legged Honeycreeper, Panama
More photos...Comments
Grey Necked Wood Rail
14 December 2011 18:45
Copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy without permission • Pantanal, Brazil, August.
Bird name: Grey Necked Wood Rail
Latin: Aramides cajanea
Other: Gray-necked Wood-rail • Saracura-três-potes (Br) • Chiricote (Es), Rascón cuello gris, Chilacoa colinegra
Family: Rallidae - Rails, Wood Rails
Range: Mexico to Argentina, incl Brazil etc.
Similar:
Grey-necked Wood-Rails were one of the most frequently seen birds in the Pantanal in August - always in or near water. The riverbanks around Curicaca Lodge usually produced one or two, often near jacarés, and once beside a capuchin monkey which was drinking from the river.
Grey-necked Wood-rails are medium-sized colourful birds with red legs, rufous underparts, grey neck, yellow-green bill and red irises. The grey neck is diagnostic. They are found throughout Central America and South America east of the Andes.
Below, close-up of a Grey-necked Wood Rail, Pantanal, Brazil, August.
More photos...Crimson Backed Tanager
29 January 2011 14:44
Copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy without permission • Panama, Chiriqui, May 2010
Bird name: Crimson Backed Tanager
Latin: Ramphocelus dimidiatus
Other:
Family: Thraupidae • Tanagers
Range: Panama, Colombia, Venezuela
Similar: Ant tanagers
The Crimson-backed Tanager was one of the most common tanagers in central Panama - seen at feeders, around houses and fairly open forested areas.
Crimson-backed Tanagers are basically red birds with dark wings, but as there are quite a few red tanagers, with similar names, they can be surprisingly difficult to ID to the uninitiated.
Males have a characteristic partly white lower bill, whereas females’ bills are fairly uniform dark. Females are on the whole duller and browner.
More photos...Blue Grey Tanager
29 January 2011 14:14
Copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy without permission • Panama, April, May 2010
Bird name: Blue Grey Tanager
Latin: Thraupis episcopus
Other: Blue-Gray Tanager (US) • Tangara azulada, azulejo de jardín (Es), sanhaço-da-amazônia (Br)
Family: Thraupidae • Tanagers
Range: S Mexico to Bolivia, Amazonia
Similar: Palm Tanager
The Blue-grey Tanager is one of the most common and omnipresent garden tanagers in Panama. It is pale grey with blue on wings tail and back. The shade of blue varies from cobalt to turquoise. Seen from below the Blue-gray Tanager can look very white, like other Thraupis tanagers.More photos...
Red Crowned Ant Tanager
29 January 2011 14:13
Copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy without permission • Panama, El Valle, May 2010
Bird name: Red Crowned Ant Tanager
Latin: Habia rubica
Other: Tangara rojisucia rúbica, Tangara hormiguera coronirroja (Es)
Family: Thraupidae • Tanagers
Range: Widespread Latin America
Similar: Red-throated Ant Tanager
This pair of Red-crowned Ant Tanager visited the fruit feeder at Canopy Lodge, Panama, in April.
The male Red-crowned Ant Tanager is chestnut coloured with a red crown barely visible in the above photo. The female, below, is olive green. There are several olive-green tanagers, so it helped that they arrived together. Both male and females should have a dark line around their crests, which will distinguish them from the similar Red-throated Ant Tanager, but I relied on the guide’s identification for these.
More photos...Thick Billed Euphonia
26 January 2011 08:54
Copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy without permission • Panama, El Valle, May 2010
Bird name: Thick Billed Euphonia
Latin: Euphonia laniirostris
Other:
Family: Fringillidae • Finches, Euphonias
Range: Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Bolivia, Amazonia
Similar: Yellow-throated Euphonia
The Thick-billed Euphonia is the feeder bird at the Canopy Lodge in El Valle, Panama. Literally dozens fly in, of all ages.
The male Thick-billed Euphonia is all yellow underneath and dark blue-black above, with yellow forecrown.
The female, directly below, is dull yellow green. A juvenile male, lowest photo, shows half way stage between female/juvenile plumage and adult male. White marks in the wings of adults can only be seen in flight (photo below).
A pair pictured below were collecting moss and spiderwebs to build a nest.
More photos...Grey Headed Chachalaca
01 January 2011 13:58
Copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy without permission • Panama, April 2010
Bird name: Grey Headed Chachalaca
Latin: Ortalis cinereiceps
Other: Guacharaca de cabeza gris (Es)
Family: Cracidae • Chachalacas
Range: Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, N Colombia
Similar: Plain Chachalaca
I always seemed to be battling the light when I saw Grey-headed Chachalacas in Panama. They were not that uncommon - I saw a pair walking ten feet in front of my cabin door at the Canopy Lodge at dusk, and on further investigation noticed them several other days lurking in the dense branches surrounding the hotel. We also saw a large group of them crashing through the trees at Gamboa Rainforest Centre.
They look similar to Plain Chachalacas, which I understand in Panama replace Grey-headed on the north Caribbean slope. Grey-headed Chachalacas have more chestnut colouring on the wing.More photos...
Panamanian Flycatcher
13 December 2010 21:47
Copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy without permission • Panama, April 2010
Bird name: Panamanian Flycatcher
Latin: Myiarchus panamensis
Other:
Family: Tyrannidae • Tyrant Flycatchers
Range: Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela
The Panamanian Flycatcher was one of the more common flycatchers in many locations in Panama.
More photos...White Tipped Sicklebill
17 June 2010 17:43
Copyright: monacoeye • Canopy Tower, Panama, April 2010 • Do not copy without permission
Bird name: White Tipped Sicklebill
Latin: Eutoxeres aquila
Other:
Family: Trochilidae • Hummingbirds
Range: Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
This White-tipped Sicklebill was seen near the Canopy Lodge in Panama. Not that easy to get a good view of this small bird feeding, though it is a regular visitor to heliconia. But it was easy to recognise here resting, by its extremely curved bill.
Rufous Tailed Hummingbird
17 June 2010 12:04
Copyright: monacoeye • Canopy Tower, Panama, April 2010 • Do not copy without permission
Bird name: Rufous Tailed Hummingbird
Latin: Amazilia tzacatl
Other: Amazilia de Cola Rufa (Es)
Family: Trochilidae • Hummingbirds
Range: Mexico to Ecuador and Venezuela
The Rufous Tailed Hummingbird was perhaps the most widespread hummingbird seen on my trip to Panama. Similar to the Snowy-bellied Hummingbird, but only the tail is rufous, not the back. And only the lower part of the underside is white or grey. Underside of bill is mostly pinkish red.More photos...
Garden Emerald
16 June 2010 20:26
Copyright: monacoeye • Canopy Lodge, Panama, May 2010 • Do not copy without permission
Bird name: Garden Emerald
Latin: Chlorostilbon assimilis
Other:
Family: Trochilidae • Hummingbirds
Range: Costa Rica, Panama
Probably a male Garden Emerald.More photos...
Violet Headed Hummingbird
16 June 2010 12:45
Copyright: monacoeye • Panama, 1 May 2010 • Do not copy without permission
Bird name: Violet Headed Hummingbird
Latin: Klais guimeti
Other: Colibrí cabeza violeta (Es)
Family: Trochilidae • Hummingbirds
Range: Honduras to Bolivia
The male Violet-headed Hummingbird, seen above at the Canopy Lodge in El Valle, Panama, is identifiable by its violet head and bright white spot behind eye. The female, below, also has the white spot, but has greyish underparts and is otherwise mostly greenish with bluish forehead.
More photos...White Tipped Dove
12 June 2010 19:30
Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Lagoa do Peixe • November 2009
Bird name: White Tipped Dove
Latin: Leptotila verreauxi
Other: Juriti-pupu (Br)
Family: Columbidae • Pigeons
Range: Southern Texas to Argentina
This Brazilian White-tipped Dove, above, has a black bill, grey crown and upper mantle and a little purple shading behind the eye. White tipped tail feathers seen in flight.
White-tipped Doves are present throughout most of Brazil and South and Central America. Often seen on lawns. Not uncommon in central Panama. About the same size as a city pigeon.
The Panamanian White-tipped Dove, Leptotila v. verreauxi, below, has distinctive blue orbital skin around the eyes with pale red irises.
Copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Panama • 27 April 2010
More photos...Sunbittern
10 June 2010 21:06
Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Soberania Park 2006
Bird name: Sunbittern
Latin: Eurypyga helias
Other: Tepozcalcarau (Es), pavito de agua, ave sol, garza del sol • Pavãozinho-do-pará (Br), pavão-papa-moscas
Family: Eurypygidae • Sunbittern
Range: Guatemala to Brazil
The nesting female Sunbittern was seen in central Panama, above a river. Another was seen later in a river in El Valle. Taxonomy unclear.More photos...
Snowy Bellied Hummingbird
05 June 2010 20:42
Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Valle de Anton, Panama • 30 April 2010
Bird name: Snowy Bellied Hummingbird
Latin: Amazilia edward
Other:
Family: Trochilidae • Hummingbirds
Range: Costa Rica, Panama
The Snowy-bellied Hummingbird seemed fairly widespread in Panama - seen in most regions. A regular feeder bird.
It is recognisable by its white belly with green head and neck. It has green shoulders and a copperish back and tail, unlike the Rufous-tailed Hummingbird Amazilia tzacatl where the green extends further down the back and only the tail is rufous.
More photos...