Tag Archives: Tambopata

Yellow-crowned Parrot (Amazona ochrocephala)

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The Yellow-crowned Amazon or Yellow-crowned Parrot (Amazona ochrocephala), is a species of parrot, native to the tropical South America and Panama.  Subspecies include xantholaema, nattereri and panamensis.

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Sorry they are a bit blurry, I was trying to focus on them as part of a large group at the Napo clay lick.  They have quite a large range in in Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. I saw these guys at the large parrot clay lick near Napo Wildlife Center.  Also try looking for them at clay licks near Tambopata & Manu in Peru.

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This wasn’t easy as there are hundreds of videos of these birds as pets but few in the wild.  This pair in swift flight is very typical of how quick you have to be to get a decent shot.

This is in an aviary but at least it’s a nice close-up!

 

 

 

Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin)

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The Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin), also known as the stinkbird, or Canje pheasant, is a species of tropical bird found in swamps, riparian forests, and mangroves of the Amazon and the Orinoco Delta in South America. It is notable for having chicks that possess claws on two of their wing digits.

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Hoatzin have a huge range over most of tropical South America.  You are most likely to see them when you visit jungle lodges in the Amazon such as Napo Wildlife Center, Tambopata Research Center, Manu Peru, Cristalino, etc.  I only saw them well in Ecuador at Napo.  They are really cool looking birds even if the locals do think they stink!

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Watch this youngster using the claws on his wings!

And a couple adults.

 

Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga)

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The Anhinga ( Anhinga anhinga), sometimes called snakebird, darter, American darter, or water turkey, is a water bird of the warmer parts of the Americas. The word anhinga comes from the Brazilian Tupi language and means devil bird or snake bird. When swimming the origin of the name snakebird is apparent: only the colored neck appears above water so the bird looks like a snake ready to strike. They do not have external nares (nostrils) and breathe solely through their epiglottis.

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I’ve seen them sunning themselves with open wings while doing river trips in Peru – Tambopata & Brazil – Cristalino.  They have a large range throughout South America so would be widespread in any similar habitat.

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Interesting behaviour taken with a camera I just bought to supplement my Canon 60d

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You can see them in Florida too!

 

 

Red-and-green Macaw aka Green-winged Macaw (Ara chloropterus)

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The Green-winged Macaw (Ara chloropterus), also known as the Red-and-green Macaw, is a large mostly-red macaw of the Ara genus.  This is the largest of the Ara genus, widespread in the forests and woodlands of northern and central South America. However, in common with other macaws, in recent years there has been a marked decline in its numbers due to habitat loss and illegal capture for the parrot trade.  I haven’t been able to get a close-up shot in the wild so this photo is from the bird park near Iguassu Falls.

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All my other photos are more like this – macaws gracefully flying through the rainforest.

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They have a large range in South America and can be seen easily in the birding hotspots of Tambopata (clay licks), Pantanal & Cristalino.

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Loving couple

 

Red & Gren Macaws get along well with other large macaws and can often be seen flocking together, especially at clay licks.  This clip was taken at Manu and you can see them sharing a food table with other macaws.

 

Blue-headed Parrot (Pionus menstruus)

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The Blue-headed Parrot, also known as the Blue-headed Pionus (Pionus menstruus) is a medium large parrot.

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They have a huge range throughout Central and South America but there are 3 different sub-species which are have their own geographic ranges:

P.m. menstruus: Trinidad, Guianas, and Venezuela to E Colombia, E Ecuador, and E Peru south to C Bolivia, and Amazonian Brazil.
P.m. reichenowi: E Brazil.
P.m. rubrigularis: S Costa Rica and Panama to W Colombia and W Ecuador.

They are easily seen in Cristalino, the Pantanal, Tambopata and Soberania NP.

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I think this one is a food critic!

 

 

Mealy Parrot (Amazona farinosa)

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The Mealy Amazon or Mealy Parrot (Amazona farinosa) is among the largest parrot in the Amazona genus, the amazon parrots.

Although I have seen this bird in several places – Cristalino, Panama, Tambopata I don’t seem to have any decent photos so I have to rely on the Wikipedia shots.

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All I could get was distant flight shots.

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Mealy Parrots have a huge range throughout South America and prefer tropical rainforest environments.  Good places to see them are Cristalino, Tambopata, Napo, Panama’s Soberania (different subspecies) and other rainforest lodges.

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Noisy flock in Peru

On a clay lick

How Eco-tourism Benefits Indigenous People In Peru

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Just a little reminder of why eco-tourism is so important to the indigenous people really anywhere we travel.   This article originally published by Peru For Less shows how the Ese Eja people in the Tambopata area of Peru have been exploited and cheated by large companies but how they are benefit by eco-lodges such as Refugio Amazonas.  I was lucky enough to visit there in 2007 and hope to go back someday.

Angela Tambopata--MacawsandAmazon

Mysterious Behavior Of Amazonian Macaws

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Wired Science recently did an article on the Mysterious Behavior of Amazonian Macaws of Tambopata.  They interviewed several researchers, including the director of the project, Donald Brightsmith.  Long-time readers of my blog know that Tambopata is a personal favourite birding location of mine and I plan a return trip in 2016.

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The article is very interesting and gives a more in-depth look than most eco-tourists get.  I do find it sad that the younger chicks are no longer being rescued and hand-fed by the researchers.  They used to do this in the past, that’s why the “Chicos” still hang around the lodge and try to steal people’s breakfasts!  I would be much happier if the younger chicks were still being rescued, even if they were subsequently relocated to another habitat to interbreed with other Scarlet Macaws.

Call me a softie or whatever, but it would be a shame if these beauties had been left to die!

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