Bulletin 322 - Guatemala #8 - Cardinals, Manakins, Blackbirds, Wrens

I went for a third visit to Guatemala in May. Once again, I used the wonderful local guide Knut Eisermann of Cayaya Birding. On this visit, we went to different locations to see different species.

The 6.5" Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea) is well known to North American birders. It is also a breeding bird in Guatemala. We had a pair feeding beside the road and here is the bright male with his brown wing patch.

Blue Grosbeak - male

Another member of the cardinal family was a life bird. The 5" Gray-throated Chat (Granatellus sallaei) is a gray backed bird with red belly and white flanks.

Gray-throated Chat - male

A pair of manakin species were seen as well. The 4.5" male White-collared Manakin (Manacus candei) is a black and white and yellow bird and an easy ID.

White-collared Manakin - male

The 9.5" male Long-tailed Manakin (Chiroxiphia linearis) is a black bird with a blue back and red cap. He has 2 long tail feathers. The females of both these manakins are dull olive colored.

Long-tailed Manakin - male

Every family seemed to come in pairs and so it was with blackbirds. The 20" male Montezuma Oropendola (Psarocolius montezuma) is an easy ID with the colorful face and 2 tone bill.

Montezuma Oropendola - male

His nest is parasitized by the 14" Giant Cowbird (Molothrus oryzivorus). It is a black bird with a red eye. The female is smaller and browner.

Giant Cowbird - male

I also found 2 wren species. The 4.5" Northern Nightingale Wren (Microcerculus philomela) is a dark brown almost tailless wren that stays in dense shadows near the ground. It was a life bird for me to see.

Northern Nightingale Wren

The other was also a lifer. The 4" White-bellied Wren (Uropsila leucogastra) It is brown with white underparts. He never came into the open for a good photo.

White-bellied Wren

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

I have photos of 29 of the 53 species of cardinals

I have photos of 9 of the 52 species of manakins

I have photos of 45 of the 108 species of blackbirds

I have photos of 33 of the 86 species of wrens

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald
dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2018 David McDonald

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