Southern Emerald Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus albivitta) - 10Aug2024

I have benefitted from the split of the Northern and Southern Emerald Toucanet from the old species of Emerald Toucanet.  I saw the Northern one up in Costa Rica and the Southern in Colombia where this one was photographed. I think the Northern one is a little more striking with the blue face, but both are pleasing to the eye.  This one came in to feeders at Ukuku Lodge.

Toucan Barbet (Semnornis ramphastinus) - 15Aug2024

These funny looking birds are one of two species in the genus Semnornis with Prong-billed Barbet being the other.  They tend to stay pretty high up in high elevation canopy forest in Colombia and Ecuador.  They are very loud with their calls traveling great distance.  We heard them on my second trip to Colombia in the central cordillera, but it took some time to locate them way up over 100 yards away.  They are considered to be "Near Threatened" because they are fairly picky in their nesting trees, preferring  older trees of a specific family (Laurels).  

Red-headed Barbet (Eubucco bourcierii) - 13Aug2024

Red-headed Barbets is one of four colorful species in the genus Eubucco.   We had ours in Florida, Colombia which was actually the home town of our bird guide on both of my trips to Colombia.  Some birds just look angry, and this is one of them.

Rufous-tailed Jacamar (Galbula ruficauda) - 19Aug2022

The Rufous-tailed Jacamar is found in a wide range throughout Central and South America.  Although I had seen a few, I thought I was doomed to get poor looks through the forest.   However, in my trip to the Pantanal in Brazil we saw many at point blank even in suburban gardens.

 

Brown Jacamar (Brachygalba lugubris) - 15Aug2022

My only sighting of this species was from very far off in my first trip to Brazil at Chapada dos Guimaeres.  Although they are not uncommon, they certainly are not easy to find.

Masked Trogon (Trogon personatus) - 15Aug2024

This mainly high elevation denizen of humid forests is fairly wide-spread in the Andes of South America but has many sub-species so it could be ripe for splits.  I got my best looks in Colombia where these pictures were taken.

Black-fronted Nunbird (Monasa nigrifrons) -17Aug2022

Black-fronted Nunbird is one of four species of Nunbird, and is found in Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil and Ecuador. They are very cute and charismatic and somewhat unafraid of humans making for a very good photography subject.  We had quite a few during our stay in the Pantanal including several hanging out right outside our hotel rooms.

Lanceolated Monklet (Micromonacha lanceolata) - 15Aug2024

The Lanceolated Monklet is the only species in the genus Micromonacha but it seems ripe for a split in the future because it has several different populations with most in Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador and Bolivia but also a disjunct population in Costa Rica and Panama.  It is basically a very small and cute Puffbird.  We saw this one at the Montezuma Rainforest Lodge in Colombia but it took a good 20 minutes to find it after hearing it because it is so small and blends in easily. 

Moustached Puffbird (Malacoptila mystacalis) - 15Aug2024

This cool-looking puffbird is found in humid forests in Colombia and Venezuela. We had ours at the Montezuma Rainforest Lodge.  

Spot-backed Puffbird (Nystalus maculatus) - 12Aug2022

This Puffbird is mostly found in Brazil's cerrado and caatinga habitats and it spills over a bit into Argentina.  We had one on our trip to the Pantanal in Brazil.

White-eared Puffbird (Nystalus chacuru) - 15Aug2022

We had these Puffbirds in Chapada dos Guimaraes, Brazil in a dry forest environment. They look cool and comical at the same time.  

White-necked Puffbird (Notharchus hyperrhynchus) - 01Aug2019

This is a species I initially saw in Costa Rica way back in 2013 when I first started birding, but my camera was basically a disposable at that stage.  So I was tickled pink to see another albeit with a better camera during my first trip to Colombia.  This one was near the north coast in Santa Marta.

 

Green-and-rufous Kingfisher (Chloroceryle inda) - 19Aug2022

The Green-and-rufous Kingfisher looks very similar to the American Pygmy but is twice the size and doesn't have a white belly.  They both live in similar habitats and both share similar ranges in Central and South America. In fact, we had both on the same Pantanal boat ride in Brazil.  

American Pygmy Kingfisher (Chloroceryle aenea) - 19Aug2022

This tiny Kingfisher of Central and South America is only about 5 inches long.  They are even more shy that most kingfishers which is saying a lot. We had ours from a boat in the Pantanal in Brazil.

Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) - 11Feb2025

Common Kingfishers have a wide distribution across much of Europe, Asia and North Africa.  Like most Kingfishers, they are often difficult to photograph.  However, I was able to corner this one in the rain on the coast of France, near Antibes.

Andean Motmot (Momotus aequatorialis) - 10&22Aug2024

Andean Motmot is yet another of the species split from the Blue-crowned Motmot back in 2009.  As you can guess, all 6 of them look very similar.  This one is a high elevation montane forest species.  We had quite a few in different places during my second trip to Colombia.  The first photo is from Ukuku Lodge near Ibague and I think the next is from the airport hotel grounds near Medellin. 

 

Amazonian Motmot (Momotus momota) - 15Aug2022

The Amazonian Motmot was also the beneficiary of the Blue-crowned Motmot split which made 6 new species from one.  That being said, they probably don't care about nomenclature, so maybe it is I who is the beneficiary.  As the name implies, this species inhabits the humid lowlands of the Amazon Basin.  We had ours in the Pantanal in Brazil.

Whooping Motmot (Momotus subrufescens) - 02Aug2019

Before 2009 this Motmot was one of the now 6 split species from the Blue-crowned Motmot complex.  Luckily there are 6 now in this genus (Momotus) of which I think I have seen 4 of.  The Whooping Motmot lives at lower elevations in northern South America.  This photo was from the famous El Dorado Ecologic station in the Santa Marta area of Colombia.

Puerto Rican Tody (Todus mexicanus) - 28Dec2014

The Puerto Rican Tody is one of 5 todies of the Carribean of which I have seen 4.  The latin name is plain wrong as the bird is not found in Mexico.  It is thought that the original specimen was mislabeled from Mexico, but clearly it is endemic to Puerto Rico.  Puerto Rico had initiated a motion to make it their national bird but the motion failed because of the mistaken latin name!  This was one of the first trips outside the US that I took when I first started birding so it was memorable.

Narrow-billed Tody (Todus angustirostris) - 29Dec2024

The Narrow-billed Tody is the higher elevation of the two endemic todies in the Dominican Republic (endemic to Hispaniola).  The ones I saw were all at Ebano Verde Ecological station on the way up to the peak.  Unfortunately they were very difficult to photograph and stayed under cover giving me poor photographs, but I plan to go back at some point.  As you can see the bill is much more narrow than the Broad-billed.

Broad-billed Tody (Todus subulatus) - 22Dec2024

Broad-billed Todies are one of two endemic todies in the Dominican Republic with Narrow-billed being the other.  The Broad-billed ones tend to stick to elevations lower than 1700 meters, while the Narrow-billed generally is above 900 meters so there is some overlap but if you see one at lower elevations it is probably a Broad-billed.  Also, it helps when it has a very broad bill like this one did.

Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops) - 10Feb2025

There are only two species in the Genus Upupa, the Eurasian and Madagascar Hoopoe.  The Eurasian one has a range all over Europe, Asia and Africa.  I have seen them in Portugal and now in France which is where I took this photo in the Camargue.  It is a very unique and distinctive bird with ancient history in its range.  For example, Egyptian tombs have Hoopoes on the walls.  They are cherished in much of their range because they eat farm pests (insects).  

Elegant Trogon (Trogon elegans) - 06Aug2021

Elegant Trogon is the most northerly Trogon in the world and does make it as far as Arizona which is where I photographed this male in Madera Canyon.  

White-tipped Quetzal (Pharomachrus fulgidus) - 04Aug2019

This can be a tricky bird to see because they are only found in Venezuela and a small area of Northeast Colombia in the Santa Marta range.  The latter is where I saw mine, specifically near the famous El Dorado Lodge. The funny story on this one is that our tour leader climbed a precarious lookout tower with missing ladder rungs to get a look above the canopy.  He saw the the Quetzal and shouted down to us to carefully climb the tower.  Before he could finish his sentence, I somehow sprang up to the top of the tower and appeared behind him in less than a couple seconds.  He said it was the fastest he had ever seen someone climb a ladder.

Golden-headed Quetzal (Pharomachrus auriceps) - 18Aug2024

There are only 5 Quetzal species in the world and all of the are gorgeous birds.  Despite the amazing color scheme, they are actually very difficult to spot because of their tendency to sit motionless for long periods of time.  They are found in South America usually in humid forests with some significant elevation. 

 

Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis) - 13Apr2023

Owls in general seem to always be involved in some controversy, but none more than Spotted Owls.  Loss of habitat is the main threat as with most species, but also wildfires and competition with Barred Owls are also important.  The loss of habitat has led to protections that creates controversy with logging operations.   There has been a war between conservationists and loggers in this bird's northern range for decades with the Spotted Owl being used as the flagship species.  The controversy with Barred Owls is that habitat displacement has caused Barred Owls to move into territory previously used only by Spotted Owls which are easily outcompeted due to their smaller size.  Now there are programs to kill Barred Owls to protect the Spotted Owls which is controversial in many ways.  My first Spotted Owl was in the heart of Yosemite National Park right next to the visitors center at the Hetch Hetchy entrance.

Elf Owl (Micrathene whitneyi) - 08Apr2024

Elf Owl is the smallest of the owls in the world!  They have been compared to sparrows in size.   Although I have been to a couple locations where they should be seen, I always dipped on them until last year in the Lower Rio Grande where I caught this one poking out just after sunset. They are the only species in their Genus. 

Northern Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium californicum) - 21Jun2024

I finally got my Northern Pygmy-Owl this past year in Colorado at a beautiful state park northwest of Fort Collins.   These tiny owls will call sometimes from a perch out in the open during the day, but they are known to be somewhat of a ventriloquist, throwing their voice around in the canyons they inhabit.  Also they are pretty well camouflaged which means spotting one can be very difficult.  It took me forever to find this one.

Santa Marta Screech-owl (Megascops gilesi)) - 04Aug2019

The Santa Marta Screech-owl was only just formally described in 2017 so I was pretty excited to see it on my first trip to Colombia in 2019.  Its range is very limited to the Santa Marta mountain range with only an estimated 2300 to 7500 individuals. 

White-throated screech owl (Megascops albogularis) - 20Aug2024

White-throated Screech-owls inhabit higher elevation forests of the Andes Mountains in South America.  They are fairly widespread and consequently not endangered, but I only ever saw or heard this one while in Colombia.  They are one of the 22 living species in the Megascops Genus.

Short-tailed Hawk (Buteo brachyurus) - 11Aug2024

The Short-tailed Hawk sits in the large Genus of Buteo which has 28 species in it.  This is one of the few Central and South American Hawks that make it over to North America with a population in south Florida which is "critically imperiled".  The name is misleading as the tail is no shorter than most other Buteos in the group, but maybe it was called that because the tail is shorter than other bird predators like those in the genus Accipiter which do have decidedly longish tails.  I have seen a couple in Florida but never have obtained a decent picture from there.  There is a light and dark morph but I only have pics of the former.  Here is a pic from Colombia.