Birds | The Canopy Family

Gray-headed Chachalaca

Gray-headed Chachalaca Ortalis cinereiceps Photo by Jonathan Slifkin Gray-headed Chachalacas are usually a conspicuous presence, moving through the trees in flocks and delivering a chorus of loud, raucous calls. They are also

Mealy Parrot

Mealy ParrotAmazona farinosa Photo by Jonathan Slifkin What’s “mealy” about the Mealy Parrot? The species was so named because the grayish suffusion to the bird’s nape and upper back was said by

Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo

Rufous-vented Ground-CuckooNeomorphus geoffroyi Photo by Danilo Rodríguez Jr. The Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo is a beautiful but infrequently encountered bird, and one of the most sought-after species of the Neotropics. It is found in humid primary forests from southern Nicaragua, through Costa Rica and Panama, into north-western Colombia. Another population occurs in the western and southern Amazon Basin of south-eastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, northern Bolivia and Brazil, while a final population occurs in the Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil. The Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo is an obligate antswarm follower, meaning that it forages by following colonies of army ants and picking off the insects, arachnids, and small vertebrates like lizards and frogs that the ants disturb as they swarm across the jungle floor. An interesting fact is that ground-cuckoos of the genus Neomorphus produce a sound by clacking their beaks, which is similar to that produced by peccaries (wild pigs) when they feel threatened. Ground-cuckoos may occasionally be spotted near peccaries, so it has been proposed that they both benefit from alerting each other to danger by making similar sounds! As other species in the genus Neomorphus, the Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo is generally highly inconspicious and infrequently seen. While overall unlikely to be threatened due to its large range, one subspecies, maximiliani (from Bahia, Brazil), may be extinct, and another, dulcis (from Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo, Brazil), is very rare and likely to be threatened. The subspecies vary primarily in the details of the chest- and crown-pattern, and the colour of the tail and wings. This "holy grail" of Neotropical birding has been recorded from the world-famous Pipeline Road near the Canopy Tower, but chances of seeing it are better near the Canopy Lodge. Dr. Kevin Zimmer (renowned international birding tour leader and researcher) wrote for the magazine Neotropical Birding that “in

Rufous-vented Ground-CuckooNeomorphus geoffroyi Photo by Danilo Rodríguez Jr. The Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo is a beautiful but infrequently encountered bird, and one of the most sought-after species of the Neotropics. It is found in humid

Northern Emerald-Toucanet

Northern Emerald-Toucanet Aulacorhynchus prasinus Photo by Rafael Lau The Northern Emerald-Toucanet is a small toucan found in the foothills forests of Central America from Mexico to far-eastern Panama. At only about a foot

Mottled Owl

Mottled Owl Ciccaba virgata Photo by Uwe Speck The Mottled Owl is a medium-sized owl of tropical America. It is dark overall, with a dark mottled brown and buff head, back and wings.

Yellow-tailed Oriole

Yellow-tailed Oriole Icterus mesomelas The Yellow-tailed Oriole is a striking black and yellow bird of Panama’s swampy lowlands. It is easy to identify as it is the only oriole with prominent yellow in

White-shouldered Tanager

White-shouldered Tanager Tachyphonus luctosus This handsome tanager is one that you are likely to encounter in mixed feeding flocks in the rainforests of Panama. It is one of Panama’s smaller tanager species, at

Capped Heron

Capped Heron Pilherodius pileatus Photo by Uwe Speck One of the most unique herons of the Neotropics! The Capped Heron truly stands out on its own, as no other combines a brilliant sky-blue

Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher

Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher Terenotriccus erythrurus Photo by Rafael Lau A tiny flycatcher – only 10 cm in length and weighing only 7 grams – this teeny rainforest dweller is distinguished by its gray head

Northern Barred-Woodcreeper

Northern Barred-Woodcreeper Dendrocolaptes sanctithomae Photo by Carlos Bethancourt The Northern Barred-Woodcreeper is one of our most impressive woodcreepers, rivaling all others in size at 26 cm in length. It is distinctly barred on

Tag: Birds