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

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Bulletin 232 - Costa Rica #11 - cotinga, flycatchers, antbirds, ovenbirds, reptiles

Cotingas are a  small (66 species) New World family of often showy birds. The 8" Snowy Cotinga (Carpodectes nitidus) male all white with a black bill and eye. The female is grayish.

Snowy Cotinga - male

The tyrant flycatchers, family tyrannidae, is the largest family of birds with more 400 species, all in the New World. We have seen many in the Panama bulletin last year, and many are dull colored, so I will just show a few of the more interesting from my Costa Rica trip.

Empids are small flycatchers and the half dozen species in North America are an ID challenge and best confirmed by voice. This bird however, is an easy ID. The 4" Black-capped Flycatcher (Empidonax atriceps) is gray with a black head and elliptical eye ring. It is found above 7200 feet elevation. It is endemic to Costa Rica and western Panama.

Black-capped Flycatcher

The 7" Dark Pewee (Contopus lugubris) has a crest and no eye ring or wing bars. It occurs in the mountains, as well, but at lower elevations from 4000 - 7000 feet. It is endemic to Costa Rica and western Panama.

Dark Pewee

The 5" Tufted Flycatcher (Mitrephanes phaeocercus) is a cute brown bird with a bright rufous breast and a crest.

Tufted Flycatcher

Lastly, the 4" Torrent Tyrannulet (Serpophaga cinerea) is a gray bird with pale breast. It is found along mountain streams.

Torrent Tyrannulet

I was able to photograph 2 antbirds on this trip. There was a cooperative pair of Black-crowned Antshrikes (Thamnophilus atrinucha) who posed so close that I had to back away to get them in the camera. The male is gray with white spots on the wings and a black cap. The female is brown and can be seen here.

Black-crowned Antshrike - male

The male 7" Fasciated Antshrike (Cymbilaimus lineatus) is finely barred black and white with a bright red eye. The female is brown and white.

Fasciated Antshrike - male

The ovenbird family is a huge (312 species) New World family of mostly small brown birds. I will just show a couple of interesting ones from this trip. The 6" Ruddy Treerunner (Margarornis rubiginosus) is rufous with a white throat and eye stripe. This one was preening after bathing in a stream. It is found in the mountains above 5000 feet and is endemic to Costa Rica and western Panama

Ruddy Treerunner

The 7" Buffy Tuftedcheek (Pseudocolaptes lawrencii) is named for its flared cheek feathers. It is also the only ovenbird in Costa Rica with wing bars. It is found above 5200' elevation.

Buffy Tuftedcheek

I photographed 5 reptiles on the trip..3 lizards, a turtle and a snake. Many people are afraid of snakes, but I have had many trips to the rain forest and only have seen 5 in all the time.

The Green Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus malachiticus)  is a 7" lizard that changes color readily from green to almost black to match the surface he is on. This one was found above the tree line at about 11,000 feet elevation.

Green Spiny Lizard

There are 4 species of basilisk lizards. I had photographed the Common or Brown Basilisk in Panama last year. The Striped Basilisk (Basilicus vittatus) is only about 20" when full grown. It is found on the Caribbean slope of Costa Rica. It is brown with two yellow lateral stripes.

Striped Basilisk Lizard

The Helmeted Basilisk Lizard (Corytophanes cristatus) is smaller and only 14" when full grown. It is rare to see it as it usually is motionless on a tree trunk or vertical branch. We just happened to see this one on the path at La Selva. It is brown with a large hood on it head and neck.

Helmeted Basilisk Lizard

The largest snake in Costa Rica is of course the Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor). This snake can grow to 14 feet in length. This one was found at La Selva by another guide at dusk as it was crossing a path and they watched it climb into a tree. We refound it the next day. They estimated it at about 7 feet long. I think if you look closely you can see its eye about the exact center of the photo. This was a life reptile for me.

Boa Constrictor

The Black River Turtle (Rhinoclemmys funerea) grows to 14". This one crawled out of the river at la Selva dragging a fish and was eating it. My guide said he had never seen this species of turtle eating a fish previously.

Black River Turtle - eating fish

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald
dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2015 David McDonald

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