Slaty Flowerpiercer
Diglossa plumbea

Slaty Flowerpiercer is one of the most interesting avian specialties of the highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama. My first encounter with the species was almost absurdly easy, as I watched the bird pictured below working flowers near the guard station at El Respingo, on the western end of the Sendero Los Quetzales. Slaty Flowerpiercer, while an emberezid, is almost exclusively insectivorous, and its unique upturned bill is designed to glean tiny insects from the inside of flower petals.  


A delightful sight, my very first Slaty Flowerpiercer.

An interesting head-on look at the handsome Slaty Flowerpiercer.

Another great look at the unusual Slaty Flowerpiercer.

Elsewhere on this site:
Birds of Panama, 2005

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