Bulletin 394 - Colombia 2021 #11 - Tanagers Pt 1

 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.

Tanagers are a large New World family of mostly colorful birds. They include seedeaters, conebills, tanagers, flowerpiercers etc. Any birding trip to the tropics will find a large number of them.

The 5" Bay-headed Tanager (Tangara gyrola) is a fairly common bird from Costa Rica south into northern Amazonia. They usually have an aqua underside, but the Santa Marta range toddi subspecies is green. This is a likely future split.

Bay-headed Tanager
toddi ssp in Santa Marta range

The 7" Santa Marta Mountain Tanager (Anisognathus melanogenys) is a Santa Marta endemic and an easy ID with the blue back, yellow underside and black face.

Santa Marta Mountain Tanager

But the most exciting tanager we found in Santa Marta was the skulking 5.5" Plushcap (Catamblyrhynchus diadema). This is not an endemic to Santa Marta - but the only pair we saw and they flew across the trail and landed at eye level 8 feet away. The ID is easy if you are fortunate to see this bird.

Plushcap

Saltators are a group of tanagers that used to be in the cardinal family. The 8" Blue-grey Saltator (Saltator coerulescens) is a mostly grey bird with a white eye stripe.

Blue-grey Saltator

The 8" Olivaceous Saltator (Saltator olivascens) is similar and was split form the above species - but is a lighter grey and lacks the stripe over the eye.

Olivaceous Saltator

The 8" Orinocan Saltator (Saltator orenocensis) is dark above with a black face and rusty flanks and bright white stripe over the eye.

Orinocan Saltator

The 6" male Plumbeous Sierra Finch (Phrygilus unicolor) is a cute little bird of the paramo. The female is brown and streaky like a sparrow.

Plumbeous Sierra Finch - male

The 4.5" Grey Pileated Finch (Coryphospingus pileatus) is a rather dull greyish bird with  a pink bill.

Grey Pileated Finch

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

I have photos of 114 of the 385 species of tanagers

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 393 - Colombia 2021 #10 - Hummingbirds - Pt 2

  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.

There are over 160 species of hummingbirds in Colombia! We saw many species with some rare and endemic ones.

The 4.25" male Blue-throated Starfrontlet (Coeligena helianthea) is a 'fancy one' to quote our guide Pablo. He has a pink belly and blue rump.

Blue-throated Starfrontlet - male

The female is duller with a spotted breast and belly. She has on orange throat.

Blue-throated Starfrontlet - female

Their cousin, the 4.5" White-tailed Starfrontlet (Coeligena phalerata) is endemic to the the Santa Marta mountains. He is green with a conspicuous white tail - an easy ID in that range.

White-tailed Starfrontlet

Woodstars are tiny hummingbirds. The 2.25" male Santa Marta Woodstar (Chaetocercus astreans) is the only woodstar in the Santa Marta range. They sit on top of the trees, so difficult to get a good photo. But he is a green hummer with a red throat and forked tail.

Santa Marta Woodstar - male

The female is buffy below with a square tail.

Santa Marta Woodstar - female

The 2.75" female White-bellied Woodstar (Chaetocercus mulsant) is green backed, mostly white below and rusaty flanks. The male has a purple throat.

White-bellied Woodstar - female

The 3.5" Brown Violetear (Colibri delphinae) is dull brown with the characteristic purple cheek feathers. The sexes are similar.

Brown Violetear

His cousin the 4.75" Sparkling Violetear (Colibri coruscans) is a stunning bird as all his feathers truly sparkle. The sexes are similar. I always enjoy seeing this hummer.

Sparkling Violetear

The 3" male Tyrial Metaltail (Metallura tyrianthina) is green with a bluish throat and reddish tail. 

Tyrial Metaltail - male

The female is paler with an orange throat. However, this is the Santa Marta subspecies (districta).It is a likely split.

Tyrial Metaltail - female Santa Marta ssp

The 3.5" male Crowned Woodnymph (Thalurania colombica)  has a green throat and chest and blue crown, belly and back. A real stunner!.

Crowned Woodnymph - male

The 4.5" male Lazuline Sabrewing (Campylopterus fulcatus) is a green hummer with a blue throat. He has a curved bill.

Lazuline Sabrewing - male

Lastly was a treat - the 3" male Ruby-Topaz Hummingbird (Chyrsolampis mosquitus). This bird has a red head and nape of neck along with  an orange throat. This was a lifer for me.

Ruby-Topaz Hummingbird - male

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

I have photos of 136 of the 359 species of hummingbirds.

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2021 David McDonald

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

Bulletin 392 - Colombia 2021 #9 - Hummingbirds - Pt 1

 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.

There are over 160 species of hummingbirds in Colombia! We saw many species with some rare and endemic ones.

The male 4.75" Bronze-Tailed Thornbill (Chalcostigma heteropogon) is a species of the paramo and nearby forests. He is a brownish hummer with the distinctive green and pink beard.

Bronze-Tailed Thornbill

We also glimpsed the Black-backed Thornbill, a Santa Marta range endemic, but I missed the photograph.

Of course, a favorite of birders is the 5" Sword-billed Hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera). This is an easy ID.

Sword-billed Hummingbird

At that same location we saw both trainbearer species. The 8.5" male Black-tailed Trainbearer (Lesbia victoriae) is an easy ID.

Black-tailed Trainbearer - male

The 7" female Green-tailed Trainbearer (Lesbia nuna) has a shorter tail and spotted belly.

Green-tailed Trainbearer - female

The 3.5" Versicolored Emerald (Chrysuronia versicolor) has a red bill and was the only hummer we saw in a nest on the trip. It was formerly in the amazilia genus.

Versicolored Emerald

The 3.5" Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl) is perhaps the most common hummingbird seen in the tropics where I have visited. It is a beautiful bird.

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

The 3.5" Buffy Hummingbird (Leucippus fallax) is a resident of the dry scrub coastal area of northeastern Columbia. The sexes are similar and it is also an easy ID.

Buffy Hummingbird

The 4" male White-necked Jacobin (Florisuga mellivora) is another common hummingbird and an easy ID with the blue head, and white belly.

White-necked Jacobin

The 3.5" Glowing Puffleg (Eriocnemis vestita) is green backed with a dark tail. It would have the white feathers on his thighs if we could see them.

Glowing Puffleg

Lastly is the 4" male White-vented Plumleteer (Chalybura buffonii). He is all green with a bluish breast and obvious white undertail feathers against the dark blue tail.

White-vented Plumleteer

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

I have photos of 136 of the 359 species of hummingbirds.

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2021 David McDonald

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

Bulletin 391 - Colombia 2021 #8 - Antbirds Part 2 and Antpittas

 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.

The 6" Santa Marta Antbird (Drymophilia hellmayri) is endemic to those mountains. It has brown wings and a black and white streaked throat. The sexes are very similar. It was formerly one of 4 species called Long-tailed Antbird.

Santa Marta Antbird

The 4.5" female Black-chinned Antbird (Hypocnemoides melanopogon) is a gray bird with a white throat and faint black streaks. The male has a black throat. Their habitat of flooded forest foraging just above the water line is diagnostic. We had a pair about 10 meters away in deep shadow just before dusk. It was too dark to get a photo, but just as we were about to leave in the boat, the female flew and landed in the open right beside the boat!

Black-chinned Antbird - female

The beautiful male 6" White-bellied Antbird (Myrmeciza longipes) is 'unlike any other' and an easy ID. This bird is the easiest antbird I have ever photographed. He came to within 2 meters, in the open, and sang continuously.

White-bellied Antbird

The 4.75" female Dot-backed Antbird (Hylophylax punctatus) has a black face, white chin, and white dot on lower back. The male is similar but with a black chin. Their habitat is like the Black-chinned Antbird - flooded forest - but they forage 1-4 meters above the water surface.

Dot-backed Antbird

The 5" male Southern White-fringed Antwren (Formicivora grisea) is an easy ID. he is brown above and black below with a white line between them. It was recently split into Northern and Southern species

Southern White-fringed Antwren - male

Antpittas are a closely related family to antbirds - and usually even more difficult to see and photograph. But in the past 20 years, it was discovered that they can be trained to come to a feeder enticed by worms. I photographed 3 species on the trip and saw a 4th one.

The 7" Santa Marta Antpitta (Grallaria bangsi) came to a feeding station at a research site in the Santa Marta range. It is endemic to those mountains.

Santa Marta Antpitta

The 6.5" Tawny Antpitta (Grallaria quitensis) is a resident high in the mountains and on the paramo. It often comes in the open as this one did - on the road.

Tawny Antpitta

The one that we saw but I wasn't able to photograph was the Rufous Antpitta in the Santa Marta range. This species of antpitta was split into 14 different species in July 2021! This one is now the Sierra Nevada Antpitta.

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

I have photos of 29 of the 238 species of antbirds

I have photos of 10 of the 69 species of antpittas

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2021 David McDonald

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

Bulletin 390 - Colombia 2021 #7 - Parrots

 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.

Parrots are favorites of birders and non-birders alike due to their bright colors, popularity as cage birds and they can be trained to talk. Colombia as you know has more species of birds than any other country. There are 56 species of parrots in Colombia. I photographed a dozen and we saw one or two more. The 5" Green-rumped Parrotlet (Forpus passerinus) is s sparrow-sized green parrot with a touch of blue in his wings.

Green-rumped Parrotlet

Parakeets are parrots with long pointed tails. The 15" Blue-crowned Parakeet (Thectocercus acuticaudatus) is a green parakeet with a large white eye ring and a blue forehead.

Blue-crowned Parakeet

The 9" Flame-winged Parakeet (Pyrrhura callipterra) is a Colombian endemic species. It is green with a brown ruffle around the neck and large yellow wing patches visible in flight. It is also known as the Brown-breasted Parakeet. This bird is listed as vulnerable and declining.

Flame-winged Parakeet

Here is another photo.

Flame-winged Parakeet

Unfortunately, we missed the rare endemic Santa Marta Parakeet.

Parrots usually have shorter square tails. The 9" Black-headed Parrot (Pionites melanocephalus) is a black and white and green and yellow parrot. It is an easy ID.

Black-headed Parrot

The 11" Blue-headed Parrot (Pionus menstruus) is also an easy ID. I have seen it multiple times.

Blue-headed Parrot

Amazons are the largest New World parrots except for the macaws. The 13" Orange-winged Amazon (Amazona amazonica) is all green with a few orange flight feathers.

Orange-winged Amazon

The 16" Southern Mealy Amazon (Amazona farinosa). It is green with some red flight feathers.

Southern Mealy Amazon

The largest are the macaws. The 18" Chestnut-fronted Macaw (Ara severus) is a colorful macaw with a brown forehead. This my best photo of this species.

Chestnut-fronted Macaw

Lastly, the 36" Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) is a huge stunning bird.

Scarlet Macaw

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

I have photos of 44 of the 177 species of New World and African Parrots

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2021 David McDonald

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

Bulletin 389 - Colombia 2021 #6 - Antbirds - Part 1

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.

As my neotropical adventures continue, I appreciate the antbird more and more. Many of the species are secretive and difficult to see well, let alone photograph. But then when I do see a new one and get a photo, it is exciting.

The antshrikes are usually the easiest to see and photograph as they are usually 10' or more up in a tree. I photographed 6 species of antshrikes - so I can devote a bulletin to them. One was a species I had seen several times and never was able to photograph, but this trip I was successful. And one species is special as you will see.

The 6" male Amazonian Antshrike (Thamnophilus amazonicus) is gray with black wings and spots on the shoulders.

Amazonian Antshrike - male

The female has an orange head and breast - and the rest resembles the male.

Amazonian Antshrike - female

The 6" male Black-crowned Antshrike (Thamnophilus atrinucha) is a gray bird with a short black crest. This bird was previously named the Western Slaty Antshrike. You can see how similar these birds are and the only way to tell for sure is by the voice.

Black-crowned Antshrike - male

The 6" female Black-backed Antshrike (Thamnophilus melanonotus) is a nondescript pale brown bird.

Black-backed Antshrike - female

The 6.5" male Black-crested Antshrike (Sakephorus canadensis) in unmistakable with his tall bushy crest. Notice the scientific name - canadensis. I wondered how was this bird was associated with Canada?? The range is northern South America. Well it was first described in 1760 and the ornithologist mistakenly believed the specimen had been collected in Canada. Haha

Black-crested Antshrike - male

The female is brown with the same bushy crest.

Black-crested Antshrike - female

The one I had missed photos before was the 8" Great Antshrike (Taraba major). The male is a striking black and white bird with a bright red eye. It is unmistakable.

Great Antshrike - male

The last one was exciting to see and it is new to science and not named yet. It was discovered by our guide Pablo Florez several years ago and the scientific write-up has been done and it should be named next year. He called it the Mystery Antshrike but I prefer Inirida Antshrike as that is the locale where we saw it.

 Inirida Antshrike

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

I have photos of 29 of the 238 species of antbirds

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2021 David McDonald

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