Xenornis

Terry van Niekerk sent in this photo of a Magenta-throated Woodstar feeding a young Long-billed Starthroat at their Boquete garden. Photo taken February 16.

I spent 4 days in the Cerro Colorado area from 23 to 26 January with Ramón Pineda Jr as guide. Most notably, we found a young Glow-throated Hummingbird ( Selasphorus ardens ) being fed by its mother, both of which were photographed. I base the identification as Glow-throated mainly on location (4km east of Cerro Flores on the new road to Llano Tugrí, at 1250m) and the white bellies of the birds. According to all books and my own experience, the Scintillant is not found to the east of Cerro Flores, and according to Ridgely, the very closely related female Scintillant Hummingbird ( Selasphorus scintilla ) has a cinnamon belly. My theory after several visits is that the dividing line between the ranges of Scintillant and Glow-throated Hummingbirds is the ridge that separates the San Félix and Tabasará river basins. Cerro Flores forms part of that ridge. The “main” road to Cerro Colorado runs more or less up that ridge, then turns off it slightly to the west at about 1500mt and aft...

From June 23 to June 25 Charlotte Elton, Cora Herrera, Dan Hinckley, Celestino Mariano and Bill Adsett visited the mountainous area of Cerros Santiago and Cerro Colorado in the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé on and near the Continental Divide. On June 23 we explored the new road that turns off eastward from the Cerro Colorado Road at 30.9 km from the Panamericana highway and goes all the way to Llano Tugrí, capital of the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé. The road is between 1050 and 1300 m above sea level, and passes through degraded land and forest patches (some connected to higher forest), crossing several streams. It was not very birdy but did yield a few species of interest such as White-throated Thrush, White-winged Tanager , Elegant Euphonia, Lesser Nighthawk, Long-billed Starthroat and Torrent Tyrannulet. The road gives a spectacular view of the imposing nearby hills and Cerro Santiago itself (2100 m), most of which are still forested. It is worth further exploration, especially to look for Glow-thro...

Fasciated Tiger-Heron seen twice at Quebrada Bonita, Chagres National Park first on the 4th of January with Fidelino (Igua) Jimenez, and again on the 7th. January 17th: Giant Cowbird seen on the grass next to the U.S. Consulate fence in Clayton. January 22nd: A male Magenta-Throated Woodstar on the shrubs next to the Coffee Museum at Finca Hartmann, Chiriquí.