| One of the true pleasures of my forays into central Panama has been my introduction to the neotropical family of birds known as Puffbirds. These plump, thick-billed birds are quite aptly named, and they are insectivorous, sallying forth occasionally from a favored perch to capture insects on the wing, and somewhat habitually returning to that perch for long, motionless periods. The last of the four species I've seen (at this writing) was the White-whiskered Puffbird, which I missed entirely on my first trip, but could not avoid in September of 2004. |
| Puffbirds are generally quite sedentary when not on flycatching forays, and, despite their relatively large size, can be quite difficult to spot. The guides at the Canopy Tower are remarkably adept at picking out perching puffbirds at a good distance, and I was happy to, by the end of my last trip, be able to pick out a few of my own on solo jaunts. |
| The White-whiskered Puffbird pictured here was filmed at an ant swarm along Semaphore Hill, the site of the Canopy Tower. The bird was quite distracted by the insects scurrying about the area, and allowed me to film it at less than ten feet away, albeit under a bit of cover at the road's edge. Details regarding other birds spotted at this ant swarm are offered in the pages listed below. |
| Copyright© Ken Allaire. All rights reserved. Reproduction, modification, or republication of the images or content contained herein without authorization for any purpose or to produce any product is a violation of the copyright herein and is strictly prohibited. |