Please send in your wildlife photos: the holidays are a good time to put them together. I do need more contributions.
Today we have part 2 of Ephraim Heller’s series of photos taken in Costa Rica (post 1 is here). This one concentrates on birds. As Ephraim says, “This e-mail contains my photos of birds, other than hummingbirds and trogons. Hummers and trogons will be the focus of e-mail #3. For more photos you can follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/hellerwildlife/.”
Ephraim’s captions are indented, and you can enlarge his photos by clicking on them.
Yellow-throated Toucan (Ramphastos ambiguus). I saw many of these birds pick nuts or fruit with the tips their long beaks, then toss the morsels in the air and catch them in the centers of their beaks to reposition the food for swallowing.
Another Yellow-throated Toucan (Ramphastos ambiguus):
Montezuma Oropendola (Psarocolius montezuma). These are large, loud, social birds. Despite their size, these birds build hanging woven nests of fibers and vines that are 24-71 inches long:
Piratic flycatcher (Legatus leucophaius) bringing bugs for its young in a hanging nest. It gets its name because it does not build its own nest, but appropriates the domed or enclosed nests of other bird species. Once the persistence of the flycatchers has driven the rightful owners away, their eggs are removed, and the female flycatcher lays its own eggs:
Great kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus) diving into water to collect bugs.
Crested Guan (Penelope purpurascens). A turkey-sized bird whose hair stylist’s phone number is in high demand. When in flight they can be mistaken for tenured faculty at the Institute for Advanced Studies.
American Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica). Their long toes help them walk onto floating vegetation by distributing their weight across a large surface area.
Bare-throated Tiger-Heron (Tigrisoma mexicanum).
Great Curassow (Crax rubra) – female. Its numbers and distribution in Costa Rica have been reduced due to hunting for food and sport:
Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao). A loud, raucous, gregarious bird. The scarlet macaw can live up to 90 years in captivity, although a more typical lifespan is 40 to 50 years.
Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks (Dendrocygna autumnalis) sharing gossip. They are unique among ducks in their strong monogamous pair-bonding.
Northern Barred-Woodcreeper (Dendrocolaptes sanctithomae) with pseudoscorpion (Pseudoscorpiones). They northern forage mostly by following army ant swarms to feed on prey disturbed by the ants. Indeed, as I was photographing this bird I was being bitten by army ants crawling over my legs.
Bicolored Antbird (Gymnopithys bicolor) with a tasty spider. This bird was also flitting about the area of the army ants, feeding on the displaced arthropods.
Bicolored Antbird (Gymnopithys bicolor) with a tasty spider. This bird was also flitting about the area of the army ants, feeding on the displaced arthropods.
Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher (Ptiliogonys caudatus) swallowing a berry. This bird has a limited range, occurring only in the mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama, usually from 1,850 m altitude to the timberline.
Flame-colored Tanager (Piranga bidentata). This bird was so pretty and was kind enough to pose among the flowers.
Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) dropping off a branch. Per Wikipedia:
“Acorn woodpeckers are cooperative breeders, living and breeding in family groups of up to 15 individuals. Field studies have shown that within the same population, groups range from monogamous pairs to polygynandrous breeding collectives consisting of coalitions of up to 8 males and 4 females, along with nonbreeding “helpers at the nest” that are offspring from prior breeding events. Regardless of composition, all breeder males (who are usually brothers or fathers and their sons) compete for matings with all breeder females (who are sisters or a mother and her daughter), the latter of which lay their eggs communally in the same nest cavity. There is considerable variability within and among populations, suggesting extraordinary social plasticity. Cooperative breeding, defined as more than two birds taking care of nestlings in the nest, is a relatively rare evolutionary trait that is thought to occur in only nine percent of bird species. Most cooperative breeding species have helpers at the nest, but acorn woodpeckers are unusual in exhibiting both helping at the nest and cooperative polygamy (polygynandry). It is generally believed that limited territories are a key driver of cooperative breeding behavior in birds, and in the case of the acorn woodpecker, the availability of acorn storage granaries is a key limited resource.”
Spectacled Owl (Pulsatrix perspicillata):
Scarlet-rumped Tanager (Ramphocelus passerinii) kindly posing on a flower:
Great pictures– truly superb! I especially liked the shots of birds about to land, with their feet outstretched.
(The caption for the Bicolored Antbird was duplicated for the photo after it; the bird in that photo is a Crested Caracara (Caracara plancus).)
GCM
Beautiful shots of beautiful birbs.
I’d like to see a Flame-colored Tanager in UV light.
Spectacular! Wow!
As an owl fan, I particularly like the binomial “-trix” part in “Pulsatrix” – something about that is almost … mythical!
A great set! I’d love to go there one day.
Absolutely spectacular photographs! Many thanks. I love seeing photos of birds and scenery from places I know I will never be able to visit. Catching all those birds in flight must have taken quite a bit of patience–they are superb. This feature is a good way to acquaint people with the diversity of nature, which is why I hope it will continue, even if only occasionally.
A stunning set of pictures! Your caption for the Crested Guan made me laugh out loud!
That shot of the Acorn Woodpecker is just a total kick!!
Just incredible!
Yeah, stunning photos.
Amazing photos of birds in action, and amazing birds! Costa Rica is one place I wish I could visit, and it’s nice to get a little taste of it through such remarkable pictures!
Fantastic shots! Thank you.
The colors are so amazing that it’s hard to believe they’re real! I wonder if extinct dinosaurs from the Mesozoic had such colors, given that birds (which are dinosaurs) do today.
Fabulous shots here!
Wonderful photos with informative commentary. I must suggest a small correction. The woodcreeper is holding an amblypygid (sometimes called tailless whip-scorpion). Pseudoscorpions are fairly similar in shape, but are only a few millimeters long.
Costa Rica is a wonderful place to see a huge diversity of birds (and natural history in general). It offers an ideal introduction to tropical diversity.
Thank you for the correction, Douglas! You’ve taught me something new.
What great photos! I have a friend who goes to Costa Rica every year at this time. And keeps bugging me to join her. These pictures are definitely an inducement to take her up on that!
Really nice action shots! And they are all so beautifully lit too. And you’ve managed to catch the crest of the tiger heron. I didn’t know they could raise it so much. You even got a bit of a crest on the woodcreeper. Great captures.
Thanks for sharing your exquisite photos of these beautiful and exotic birds, Ephraim. The commentary is very engaging too.
great photos. you nailed the focus on the acorn woodpecker swooping in. what kind of gear were you using for these shots?
by the way…the kiskidees dive into my small lagoon like that to catch good sized tadpoles. i wouldn’t have believed it if i didn’t see it.