Birdwatching In Panama

A Bird-finding Guide to Panama

Published in Association with the Panama Audubon Society, a BirdLife International Partner

A Bird-Finding Guide to Panama is an essential tool for anyone traveling in search of Panama’s spectacular birds and natural attractions. With more than 970 species and a growing infrastructure of good roads, eco-lodges, and restaurants, Panama is a premier birding and nature tourism destination in the neotropics. The country’s unique geography, small size, and varied habitats make it easy to see a vast diversity of birds within a short time. The isthmus is a crossroads for the hemisphere’s birdlife–Panama’s varied avifauna includes such Central American specialties as the Resplendent Quetzal in its western highlands, while in the east, in San Blas and the Darién, species more characteristic of South America such as the Blue-and-gold Macaw are found.

Divided into three geographic sections (Canal Area, Eastern Panama, and Western Panama), this bird-finding guide provides comprehensive and up-to-date information on Panama’s best birding sites. Features include detailed site descriptions, directions, road and trail maps, and bird lists, as well as listings of birder-friendly hotels and restaurants. In addition to a comprehensive species list for the country, the book also contains information on where to find more than 360 species of special interest.

Parque Natural Metropolitano

From their brochure: “At only 10 minutes from downtown the Parque Natural Metropolitano is one of the most accessible tropical forests in the world.” Yes and im amazed that not more folks take advantage of this jewel within the city limits (or maybe thats a good thing, who knows). There are a few nice a easy trails, great for some bird watching or just to enjoy the nature and do some exercise plus some great views from top of the hill over parts of the city.  The park is open daily from 6 AM to 5PM and you need to pay a small fee at the Administration office. See any city map for the exact location on de Ave Juan Pablo II. The parks brochure mentions that there are 227 species of birds living here and you surley will see many of them including some Toucans. The parks office also features a small store where you may buy some birding books or t-shirts and other souvenirs. Well worth a visit any time!! You can find some photos from the Parque Natural Metropolitano here.

Ninety years of birdwatchers’ notes going online

CNN reports here:  Citizen scientists transcribing more than 90 years worth of historical bird data. “This is the longest and most comprehensive legacy data set on bird migration …” For more Info please see the North American Bird Phenology Program website here.

Santa Clara Beach, Panama

Rufous-vented Ground-cuckoo

Another good day along the Pipeline Road, on the way back we came along an Army Ants Swarm and those are always followed by many hungry birds feeding on the insects that are in the way of those huge ants swarms. Today among many other birds there was a a rare Rufous-vented Ground-cuckoo (Neomorphus geoffroyi), a large terrestrial species of cuckoo in the Cuculidae family, see attached images.

New Years Hike along the Pipeline Road

Here are a few pictures from my New Years hike along the Pipeline Road. First surprise was that Tiger Heron at a pond right before reaching the first bridge (Juan Grande), then shortly after that bridge on the left side there is a little pond and right beside it just a few meters from the Pipeline road was that little Croc, so watch out next time ya walk by there. The other pictures where taken a little further down the Pipeline road close to the next bridge (Rio Frijolito).

Our Picture Galleries with Birds from Panama

You can always find our picture galleries with birds from Panama here on our website. The Index of all galleries with birds from Panama is located here, there we have slide shows with: Birds of Prey, Hummingbirds, Trogons & Motmots, Toucan, Parrots & Macaws, Birdwatching along the Pipeline Road, Woodpeckers, the Harpy Eagle @ Soberania National Park, Tanagers, Flycatchers, Puffbirds, Herons & Egrets and much more! You can find many more great nature photos at my other website YourNaturePhotos.com where you also can upload your own pictures.

Santa Fe, Veraguas

Was up in the mountains around Santa Fe for a couple days, however the bad weather that hit almost all of Panama did not allow us to do the planed hikes, so we enjoyed a good BBQ and did just a short hike in the rain and with limited visibility, see the attached images. For more detailed info on Santa Fe, Veraguas please see this earlier blog post.

Book Description: A Guide to the Birds of Panama

Book Description: A Guide to the Birds of Panama. This is the first paperback version of the second edition of the popular A Guide to the Birds of Panama. In the second edition, published in 1989, the authors expanded information on the birds of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras: approximately 200 new species were added to the material in the 1976 edition. Over 300 additional species, some of them Panamanian, were illustrated. Sixteen new plates were added, and three of the original plates were replaced by improved versions. Throughout the book changes were made to accommodate the explosion in knowledge of the birds of Panama and nearby areas and of neotropical birds in general. The basic sequence and systematics of the AOU 1983 Check-list were adopted. Also included in the revised edition was expanded and updated information on birdfinding in Panama, prepared with the assistance of two of Panama’s best resident birders. The book also contains a special section outlining developments in Panama ornithology and conservation. “A sophisticated treatment of one of the world’s richest avifaunas.”–The Quarterly Review of Biology. For more info, some customer reviews and to order the book Birds Of Panama see this page here in our online store. This also makes a great gift for any natur lover!

Lots of Hummingbirds

Visited the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center last Sunday, after a short walk along the Pipeline road, while a light rain was refreshing the air. There are always lots of hummingbirds to see at the Center around the feeders, but now it seams even more so as so they say there arent that many blooming plants around in the forest, so they go for the easy food. There are many colorful birds to see there like the Blue-Chested-Hummingbird, Jacobin-Hummingbird, White-Vented-Plumeleteer, Hermits and others. The Panama Rainforest Discovery Center is located 1.6 km from the Pipeline Road entrance. After arriving at Gamboa town at the end of Gaillard Highway, drive 3 more km following the signs for Panama Rainforest Discovery Center. The Panama Rainforest Discovery Center is open daily from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. except Christmas and New Year days. Well worth a visit to see the hummingbirds and to go on discovery tours along the jungle paths or to climb the observation tower.