La Observación de Aves como Negocio de Exportación

Gray-headed Chachalaca Ortalis cinereiceps Photo by Jonathan Slifkin   Gray-headed Chachalacas are usually a conspicuous presence, moving through the trees in flocks and delivering a chorus of loud, raucous calls. They are also notable for their habit of periodically monopolizing the fruit feeders at the Canopy Lodge! The Gray-headed Chachalaca is the only Panamanian representative of its genus, which includes fourteen other species of chachalaca ranging from the southern tip of Texas into South America. In turn, chachalacas, along with guans and curassows, belong to the family Cracidae, distantly related to pheasants, quails, and guineafowl. Often described as chicken-like or turkey-like in its general appearance, the Gray-headed Chachalaca is mostly plain brown in coloration with a gray head and neck, a bare red dewlap, a long pale-tipped tail, and distinctive rufous primaries. Photo by Carlos Bethancourt Gray-headed Chachalacas range from Honduras south into northwestern Colombia. In Panama they are common throughout the country except for the highlands. Chachalacas are not typically found in mature forest habitats, but instead prefer secondary or partially cleared forest, thickets and shrubby habitats, and plantations. Their diet consists mostly of fruit, and to a lesser degree leaves and insects. They forage mostly in the trees, only occasionally descending to the ground. Gray-headed Chachalacas are highly social and usually forage in groups of 6 to 12 or more individuals, which make themselves conspicuous with their repetitive raucous vocalizations. Gray-headed Chachalacas lay their eggs, usually three per brood, mostly from January through May. These take at least 22 days to incubate. Usually it is at the beginning of the green season (May–June) that we see young chachalacas out and about with their parents, as in this video of a family captured on the Panama Fruit Feeder Cam at the Canopy Lodge! What's in a name? "Chachalaca" is a

Mealy ParrotAmazona farinosa Photo by Jonathan Slifkin   What’s “mealy” about the Mealy Parrot? The species was so named because the grayish suffusion to the bird’s nape and upper back was said by early naturalists to look like a dusting of flour, or “meal” (a resemblance also reflected in the species name farinosa, Latin for “sprinkled with flour”). The Mealy Parrot is the largest Amazona parrot in Panama, and indeed the largest parrot in Panama but for the macaws. Like other Amazona parrots—in Panama, the Red-lored and Yellow-crowned Parrots—it is mostly green with red wing patches and yellow tail tips, but it can be distinguished from its congeners by its bolder white eyering, the lack of red or yellow on its forehead or crown, and its black nostril bristles. Mealy Parrots feed mostly on a wide range of seeds and fruits, as well as buds and flowers. Depending on the time of year and the presence of seeding or fruiting trees, pairs or small groups of Mealy Parrots are a regular sight from the observation deck at the Canopy Tower; the individual pictured above is perched in a fruiting Cecropia tree right next to the Tower. The Mealy Parrot is also very common around the Canopy Camp, in the rainforests of Darién. Behaviorally it is similar to the Red-lored Parrot: both species fly with stiff, shallow wingbeats, produce loud, raucous vocalizations, forage mostly in the canopy, and nest in tree cavities. However, whereas the Red-lored Parrot can survive in partially deforested areas, and the Yellow-crowned Parrot inhabits open areas including city parks, the Mealy Parrot is typically found only in extensive tracts of dense lowland forest. Due in part to its preference for intact forest habitat, the Mealy Parrot is considered to be Near Threatened, as it faces pressure from