Author: canopytower

Ocellated Antbird Phaenostictus mcleannani Photo by Doug Weschler   A flashy, most-desired member of the antbird family (Thamnophilidae), the Ocellated Antbird is a denizen of the understory of lowland rainforest, where it is almost exclusively found in the vicinity of large swarms of army ants. At 19 cm in length, it is a large antbird and has a particularly striking appearance—it is olive above and rufous below, except that each individual feather is centered with black, giving it its distinctive scaly (“ocellated”) look. It also has a black throat, a bushy gray crest, and extensive blue facial skin. Strong, pink legs complement this antbird’s attire. It is fairly long-tailed and long-bodied and has a proportionately small head. Males and females look alike, and juveniles are similar but lack the blue facial skin of the adults. Finding an army ant swarm in the lowland tropical rainforests of Central and South America is like winning the jackpot for a birder. A large swarm may have dozens of individuals of several bird species attending, and the Ocellated Antbird is one of the most prized attendees. Like other antbirds, the Ocellated Antbird feeds not on the army ants themselves, but on the insects and arthropods, and occasionally small lizards, flushed out by the ants' movements. It is an "obligate" army ant follower, and seldom forages away from Eciton burchellii ant swarms. It is dominant at army ant swarms over other attendees, and is almost always in the company of Bicolored and Spotted Antbirds. Since army ants are nomadic, Ocellated Antbirds follow ant locations and check their bivouacs daily to keep tabs on them, and also take cues from each other's vocalizations and group knowledge to detect new swarms. At ant swarms, the Ocellated Antbird perches on branches and lianas close to the ground, often

Rufous-vented Ground-CuckooNeomorphus geoffroyi Photo by Danilo Rodríguez Jr. The Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo is a beautiful but infrequently encountered bird. Like the other four species of ground-cuckoo in its genus, it is renowned for its scarcity and its highly elusive habits. In appearance, the Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo might be described as an oversized colorful roadrunner—not incidentally, the Geococcyx roadrunners are considered a sister genus to the Neomorphus ground-cuckoos—with a prominent crest, a thick yellowish bill, bare blue skin around its eye, a long tail, and a plumage of green, purple, and bronze hues. Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoos are almost always observed in the vicinity of large swarms of army ants, foraging on or near the ground by picking off the insects, arachnids, and small vertebrates such as lizards and frogs that the ants disturb as they swarm across the forest floor. Finding these antswarms can be very productive from a birder’s perspective, as many different birds can be observed foraging in this manner including other difficult species such as the Ocellated Antbird (Phaenostictus mcleannani), but the Neomorphus ground-cuckoos are undoubtedly the rarest and most sought-after of all the antswarm followers. The presence of a ground-cuckoo may be indicated by its deep moaning or cooing vocalization or by the loud clacking of its bill that it uses as an alarm or to communicate with other ground-cuckoos. Even once a ground-cuckoo is located at an antswarm, its shy nature and the often dense undergrowth of its habitat can make it difficult to see. Less frequently, Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoos may also forage in association with groups of peccaries or monkeys. The Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo occurs locally in areas of undisturbed primary forest. The northernmost population (subspecies salvini) occurs in parts of Nicaragua and Honduras, along the Caribbean slope of Costa Rica, through Panama, and into northern Colombia. Five additional subspecies,

Rufous-crested CoquetteLophornis delattrei Photo by Carlos Bethancourt   Even within the charismatic hummingbird family (Trochilidae), the tiny, rare, ornately plumaged Rufous-crested Coquette is a standout birders’ favorite. The male Rufous-crested Coquette is most easily recognized by its long rufous-orange crest, as well as its green gorget (throat patch) with rufous cheek tufts and white throat feathers, and its conspicuous pale rump-band. The female is similar to the male but has a rufous-orange forecrown without a crest and lacks the male’s gorget. Coquettes (of the genus Lophornis) are some of the very smallest members of the hummingbird family and are often described as having a "beelike" flight, with the result that they are sometimes mistaken for flying insects! The Rufous-crested Coquette's breeding and nesting behavior is poorly recorded, other than the courtship behavior of the male involving the display of its crest and short display flights in front of the female. Rare in lowlands of both slopes (a bit more numerous on the Caribbean slope), Rufous-crested Coquettes are more commonly seen in the Panamanian highlands around 900 m (3000 ft). They can be found feeding on flowers located at forest edges, clearings and roadsides, tending to avoid the forest interior. On Canopy Family tours, we most frequently see this species at two regular foothill sites: the Canopy Adventure near the Lodge and Cerro Azul near the Tower. Outside of Panama, this species has a scattered distribution from Colombia south to Bolivia. Male Rufous-crested Coquette feeding in the Canopy Lodge garden, by David Tipling. Female Rufous-crested Coquette, by Rafael Lau. References Angehr, G. R., and R. Dean (2010). The Birds of Panama: A Field Guide. Zona Tropical, San José, Costa Rica. Hilty, S. L., and W. L. Brown (1986). A Guide to the Birds of Colombia. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. Züchner, T.