Bulletin 402 - Colombia 2021 #19 - Trogons and Jacamars

 I finally made it back to Colombia for my second visit and again used the guide services of Pablo Florez. I went with my friend Martin Jackson. We visited Inirida on the Orinoco, Santa Marta of course, Guajira Peninsula on the Caribbean coast, and a couple of National Parks around Bogota.

Jacamars are a small family of brightly colored birds with long pointed bills. They sort of resemble large hummingbirds. They are mostly found in the Amazon area. 

The 9" Rufous-tailed Jacamar (Galbula ruficauda) is the most commonly encountered, as its range is from southern Mexico to southern Brazil.

Rufous-tailed Jacamar

The 8" Green-tailed Jacamar (Galbula galbula) is very similar but with a solid green tail.

Green-tailed Jacamar

The 8" Bronzy Jacamar (Galbula leucogastra) is dark green with a bronzy chest and back.

Bronzy Jacamar

The 6.5" Brown Jacamar (Brachygalba lugubris) is all brown with a white belly.

Brown Jacamar

The 8" White-eared Jacamar (Galbalcyrhynchus leucotis) is mostly reddish brown with darker wings and tail and a prominent white ear patch. He has a bright red bill.

White-eared Jacamar

Last is the 11" Paradise Jacamar (Galbula dea). It is dark glossy green with a white throat and a very long tail.

Paradise Jacamar

We saw several trogons and a quetzal on the trip. The 11" male Green-backed Trogon (Trogon viridis) has a purple head and yellow belly.

Green-backed Trogon

The bird of the trip was the 13" White-tipped Quetzal (Pharomachrus fulgidus). It is endemic to the Santa Marta and adjacent Perija mountain ranges. It is the only quetzal in those areas. This was my 4th of the 6 species of quetzal to photograph.

White-tipped Quetzal

I put the different bird/mammal families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 8 of the 18 species of jacamars

I have photos of 17 of the 43 species of trogons and quetzals

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2022 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.

Bulletin 401 - Colombia 2021 #18 - Cotingas, monkeys

 I finally made it back to Colombia for my second visit and again used the guide services of Pablo Florez. I went with my friend Martin Jackson. We visited Inirida on the Orinoco, Santa Marta of course, Guajira Peninsula on the Caribbean coast, and a couple of National Parks around Bogota.

Cotingas are a New World family of diverse looking birds. They hardly seem like they are related.

The 7.5" male Pompadour Cotinga (Xipholena punicea) is an amazing reddish purple bird with w white wing stripe. This was only my second time to see it.

Pompadour Cotinga - male

The female is just non-descript brown as she takes care of all the nesting and raising the babies.

Pompadour Cotinga - female

There are a dozen greenish cotingas called fruiteaters - although all the cotingas eat fruit primarily. The one on this trip was in Santa Marta - the 7" Golden-breasted Fruiteater (Pipreola aureopectus). 

Golden-breasted Fruiteater - male

Another group of cotingas are all blue with the males have different colored throats. The 8" male Spangled Cotinga (Cotinga cayana) has a purple throat.

Spangled Cotinga - male

The next smaller cotinga is the 8" Red-crested Cotinga (Ampelion rubrocristatus). The male is gray with a thin red crest that can be seen along the edge of his head in the photo. He also has a prominent red. He is a resident in the paramo.

Red-crested Cotinga - male

The last 2 are some weird looking birds. The 14" male Bare-necked Fruitcrow (Gymnoderus foetidus) is black with a white neck and wings.

Bare-necked Fruitcrow - male

The female just is black with partial bare neck and the wings are black.

Bare-necked Fruitcrow - female

Lastly is the 18" Amazonian Umbrellabird (Cephalopterus ornatus). It is a black bird with a forward facing crest and a white eye,

Amazonian Umbrellabird

We had 3 species of monkeys for the trip. The largest monkeys in the New World are the howler monkeys. This is a family of Venezuelan Red Howlers (Alouatta seniculus). Males can weigh up to 20 pounds.

Venezuelan Red Howler - family

The Black Titi (Cheracebus lugens) is much smaller at 2 pounds.

Black Titi

The 1 pound Cotton-top Tamarin (Saguinus oedipus) is the cutest of the bunch. It is black with a white bushy crest and white legs. It is listed as critically endangered with fewer than 6,000 estimated still in the wild and is one of the rarest primates in the world. Here is a mother carrying twins on her back.

Cotton-top Tamarin - mother with twins

I put the different bird/mammal families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 19 of the 66 species of cotingas

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2022 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.