Random birds and wildlife photos around Panama city

In case you didn't know we at Panama Birds & Wildlife Photos are not full time photographers. We dedicate to this profession, and to update our site and social networks on our spare time. Earlier this year we took vacations from our day job and that meant we could spent some time here and there. Ironically, that didn't mean we had a lot of time available but at least enough to make some short visits to favourite places like: Parque Metropolitano, Summit Ponds, Old Gamboa Road, and Matias Hernandez River, we even had a close encounter with a nightjar in a condo.

The following pictures were made at these different locations, and disregarding some of the species have been previously featured on this blog, we always like to share our best shots on every endeavour.

American Pygmy Kingfisher (Chloroceryle aenea) is a resident breeding bird which occurs in the American tropics from southern Mexico south through Central America to western Ecuador, and then around the northern Andes cordillera in the east to central Bolivia and central Brazil, and Trinidad. In Panama it's uncommon in lowlands on both slopes.

This tiny kingfisher occurs in dense forests and mangroves along small streams or rivers with heavily vegetated banks, and edges of lakes. It is oily green above, with a yellow-orange collar around the neck, rufous underparts and a white belly. The female (as pictured) has a narrow green breast band.

Black-crowned Antshrike (Thamnophilus atrinucha) - male. To date most of the detailed studies have focused on populations in central lowland Panama.

Everything about the Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus) seems delicate, from its incredibly thin stilt-legs to its slim wings and its needle-like bill.

Black-tailed Flycatcher (Myiobius atricaudus)

 Boat-billed Heron (Cochlearius cochlearius) - juvenile

Broad-billed Motmot (Electron platyrhynchum)

Green Heron (Butorides virescens) - juvenile

Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus)

Geoffroy's Tamarin (Saguinus geoffroyi) occurs in Metropolitan Natural Park, an urban park within Panama City

The Perfumed Passionflower (Passiflora vitifolia) is a species of Passiflora, native to southern Central America (Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama) and northwestern South America (Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru). It is a vine with lobed leaves that resemblance to grape leaves. The flowers are bright red, up to 9 cm diameter. The fruit is a berry 5 cm long and 3 cm broad, with green flesh speckled with white, slight downy hairs, containing numerous seeds. The fruit is quite sour still when it falls off the plant and can take a month to ripen to its full flavor  Due to the fragrant fruit, it is in small-scale cultivation in the Caribbean.

Plain Xenops (Xenops minutus)

Purple-crowned Fairy (Heliothryx barroti) is a large hummingbird that breeds in the lowlands and hills from southeastern Mexico south to southwestern Ecuador. In Panama it's fairly common in lowlands and foothills on both slopes.

Red-throated Ant-Tanager (Habia fuscicauda)

Ruddy Ground Dove (Columbina talpacoti) - female

Rusty-margined Flycatcher (Myiozetetes cayanensis)

White-tailed Nightjar (Hydropsalis cayennensis) is reasonably common, though somewhat local, throughout its range, which extends from Costa Rica to northwestern Ecuador and northern Brazil. These nightjars occupy to open country, including savannas, pastures, and clearings. Strictly nocturnal, they roost on the ground under low vegetation during the day; at night, they forage by sallying up from the ground to catch insect prey. Note the light orange-brown collar on the nape and the long, notched tail, field marks that are present in both sexes. The tail of the male is mostly white (except for the central pair of rectrices), and males have a white band across their primaries. Females (as pictured) lack the white tail markings and have a buffy band across their primaries.

It was a very nice surprise to find this bird one night over the hood of a car (Miguel Siu mother's), in a parking in the first floor of a residential building.  Later, the bird moved to the concrete floor where it was pictured but was facing the danger of being run over by a car so it was flushed to the exterior of the building and never seen again. In Panama it's rare, occurring on Pacific slope eastward to Darién, in lowlands, in dry grassy areas.

Whooping Motmot (Momotus subrufescens)

The Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet (Tyrannulus elatus) is monotypic within the genus Tyrannulus. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Except for their voice, are inconspicuous. These small flycatchers are common and widespread in humid lowlands, where they occur in river edge and disturbed forest, at forest edges, and clearings. Inside forest, they forage in the canopy, but often perch much lower at forest edges. Their call is a fairly low, whistled "too-pew", repeated incessantly throughout the day. Visually, Yellow-crowned Tyrannulets can be separated from similar species by their yellowish white wingbars, dark gray face, and stubby bill; the semi-concealed yellow crown is difficult to see in the field. We were fortunate enough to observe this individual at lower level near the bonsai garden in Parque Natural Metropolitano, while sallying to catch some insects, and then returned to the canopy. In Panama it's common on entire Pacific slope and middle Caribbean slope, occurring in lowlands, in forest edge, woodland, clearings, and gardens.