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Birds to Watch
Highlights from our extensive Bird List

birds to watch at Panama's Canopy Tower

Recently Sighted at the Canopy Tower

Slate-colored Seedeater
  4 March 2010
  Pipeline road
  Carlos B.: "This is one those years where we can see a lot of wild bamboo full of seeds and that had attracted many Slate-colored Seedeater, many who are nesting in the area… We hope to keep looking at this bird during this whole season…We also had wonderful scope views of White-tailed Trogon, Slaty-tailed Trogon, Violaceous Trogon and Black-throated Trogon…Male and Female Rosy-thrush Tanager were easy seen…Southern-beardless Tyrannulet, Black-capped Pygmy-tyrant, Brown-capped Tyrannulet, Yellow-tyrannulet, Bright-rumped Atila, Streak Flycatcher were very cooperative with us. Pipeline road is one great place for nature…"

Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo
  1 March 2010
  Pipeline Road
  Jose Soto: "Our top guide Jose Soto, found a nice army ant swarm where he and his group enjoy perfects views of Ocellated Antbird, Bicolored Antbird, Spotted Antbird, Plain-brown Woodcreeper, Cocoa Woodcreeper, Northern Barred Woodcreeper… Jose was taking to his group about looking very careful for Ground-cuckoo and as he was finishing saying that he spot the Cuckoo and every one got to see it!... Chris Benesh and Domi Alveo were leading a Field Guide Inc. group on Pipeline road so they also got to observe this amazing bird…Well done Jose!"

Great Jacamar
  24 February 2010
  Pipeline Road
  Pat Ward & Carlos B.: "What a fantastic morning we all had at the pipeline road, we all got nice view of the Sreak-chested Antpitta, Pied Puffbird, Black-breasted Puffbird, Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant…Not to mention an amazing view of the Great Jacamar… Once again pipeline road was just great!..."

Blue Cotinga
  23 February 2010
  Chagres River
  Pat Ward & Carlos B.: "This was one of the group participant target bird and we are glad we all got it, we even got amazing views on the telescope and pictures, it is just an Electric Blue bird…We also got to see very well; Yellow-billed Cacique, Cinnamon Becard, White-bellied Antbird, Great Antshrike, Cocoi Heron, Pied-billed Grebe, Blue-winged Teal, American Coot… We also got beautiful views of seven Collared Peccary… "

Pheasant Cuckoo
  20 February 2010
  Pipeline road
  Carlos B.: "The birding from the Canopy Tower observation deck was amazing today... It started a little bit slow but just before breakfast birds were coming close to the observation Deck so we all got great views of; Green-shrike Vireo, Tropical Gnatcatcher, Yellow-throated Vireo, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Lesser Greenlet, Crimson-crested Woodpecker, Cinnamon Woodpecker, Scale Pigeon, Gray-headed Kite, Plumbeous Kite, Lesser-swallow Tailed Swift.... And the Tamarin Monkeys did their show as well... After breakfast we went to the Pipeline road to look for the Streak-chested Antpitta and we all got nice view of it... We also hear a Pheasant Cuckoo and call it right in... What a morning amigos! It was fun..."

Yellow-billed Cacique
  19 February 2010
  Chagres river
  Carlos B.: "Birding along the Chagres river in the afternoon can be amazing, specially this time of the year where most of the trees are flowering... We stop in huge nesting area of Yellow-rumped Cacique they were very vocal and every one enjoy seen it... After the Cacique Show we took a short walk along the river and we got to see a beautiful male Great Antshrike calling... We also got wonderful views of Rosy-thrush Tanager, Black-tailed Flycatcher, Kentuky Warbler, Dusky Antbird, Barred Antshrike, Fasciated Antshrike... Wooo! That was good.... Before we headed back to the Canopy Tower we got to see an immature Collared Forest Falcon on the ground feeding... Birding just gets better and better every time!..."

Harpy Eagle
  11 February 2010
  Pipeline Road
  Carlos B.: "Pipeline road is a wonderful place to see many birds and today was with out doubt excellent birding day… We started the morning with a nice pair of Rosy-Thrush Tanager… We all got perfect view of this amazing bird, we could not ask for better looks. After all the action we drove in a little bit more where we call in a beautiful Streak-chested Antpitta who stay very close to us and we got to digscope it very well… We were almost ready to head back when a Speackled Mourner started to call and we whistled it in… What a bird!.. After a wonderful lunch at the Tower we all decided to head back to the pipeline road to look for an army ants swarm but we were not lucky this time… On step we got a nice view of a family group of Song Wren and one Scaly-breasted Wren… The best thing was to observe for over an hour a nice Harpy Eagle that was calling and moving his wings at the same time… Check the video of the Harpy on Facebook… "

Snail Kite
  10 February 2010
  Gatun Lake
  Carlos B.: "A wonderful Boat trip we had today where we got to enjoy Snail Kites adults and immature at Gatun Lake… We also had great views of Cocoi heron, Blue-winged Teal, American Coot, Pied-billed Grebe, Least Grebe, Striated Heron, Ringed Kingfisher, Magnificent Frigate Bird, Red-capped Manakin, Golden-collared Manakin… We took a nice hike in one of the Panama Canal Island where we all got great views of Song Wren, Broad-billed Motmot and a pair of Golden-crowned Spadebill… It was a lot of fun, plus the White-face Capuchin put on a nice show for us… Howler mokeys and three toed Sloth were also seen…. "

Ocellated Antbird
  15 January 2010
  Pipeline Road
  Jery Langham & Carlos B.: "Pipeline road was wonderful once again specially the PRDC Visitor Center where we got great views of Black-breasted Puffbird, White-necked Puffbird, Chestnut-Mandibled Toucan, White-winged Becard, Brown-capped Tyrannulet, Blue Cotinga, Slate-colored Seedeater... We also got a message from Jose Soto that was on the Pipeline road with another group and he told us that he had a very nice Army Ant Swarm, we headed qucikly that way and got to see Ocellated, Bicolored and Spotted Antbird, Plain-brown Woodcreeper, Black-striped Woodcreeper, Northern Barred Woodcreeper, Gray-headed Tanager... Wooo Nice morning at Pipeline Road..."

White-headed Wren
  13 January 2010
  Achiote Road
  Jery Langham & Carlos B.: "This amazing wren was very cooperative and we all got perfect scope views of it... We also had; Spot-crown Barbet, Crane Hawk, White-collard Switf, White-tailed Trogon, Pacific Antwren, Pied Puffbird, Rufous-breasted Hermit, Black-bellied Wren, Plain Wren, Montezuma Oropendola, Crested Oropendola, Thick-billed Seedfinch, Yellow-back Oriole, Yellow-tailed Oriole, Common-black Hawk, Mangrove Cuckoo, Black-tailed Trogon... It was a wonderful birding day!..."

Great Jacamar
Great Jacamar

Blue Cotinga
Blue Cotinga

Snail Kite
Snail Kite

Ocellated Antbird
Ocellated Antbird

Below you will find a few of the birds you can see from The Canopy Tower and Semaphore Hill Rd. Click for a complete bird list,
547 species, as of October 2005!

Got broadband? Take a look at
our Experimental new Bird List slide show
tour all our site's 81 bird pictures (and counting!)
We also recommend you read some of the recent trip reports of the Canopy Tower and its environs, or take a moment to meet our bilingual birding guides.

The photographs on this page were taken from the top floor of the Canopy Tower by Art Wolfe, one of the best nature photographers in the world.


Hook-billed Kite
Chondrohierax uncinatus
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Tiny Hawk
Accipiter superciliosus
Plumbeous Hawk
Leucopternis plumbea
Crested Guan
Penelope purpurascens
Pheasant Cuckoo
Dromococcyx phasianellus
Vermiculated Screech-Owl
Otus guatemalae
Crested Owl
Lophostrix cristata
Mottled Owl
Ciccaba virgata
Black-and-white Owl
Ciccaba nigrolineata
Great Potoo
Nictibius grandis
Common Potoo
Nictibius griseus
Rufous-crested Coquette
Lophornis delattrei
Long-billed Starthroat
Heliomaster longirostris
Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift
Panyptila cayennensis

Tropical Kingbird
Tropical Kingbird photo by Art Wolfe
Tyrannus melancholicus

The Tropical Kingbird is by far our most common flycatcher, a large family with about a hundred species in Panama. They are seen frequently perched on the highest branches of the trees around the tower, sallying for flying insects. Tropical Kingirds are not in any way restricted to forest, and they are also one of the commonest birds in downtown Panama City.
Flycatchers come in many sizes, and from the Canopy Tower you can see a good sample of the species found in Panama. From the tiny Paltry Tyrannulet and Common Tody-Flycatcher to the impressive Boat-billed Flycatcher you'll get enough flycatchers to satisfy your wildest cravings.

Green-and-rufous Kingfisher
Chloroceryle inda
Black-breasted Puffbird
Notharchus pectoralis
White-whiskered Puffbird
Malacoptila panamensis

Black-cheeked Woodpecker
Black-cheeked woodpecker photo by Art Wolfe
Melanerpes pucherani

This medium-sized woodpecker is the forest counterpart of the commoner Red-crowned Woodpecker (M. rubricapillus) found easily in open areas. This is an adult male, as shown by its all-red cap. They feed on the higher levels of the canopy, alone or in pairs. One or two are usually seen on the trees around the tower early in the morning, sometimes calling while perched out in the open.
But this is just one of the woodpeckers you'll get a chance to add to your life list. Both Lineated and Crimson-crested Woodpeckers are seen easily, and the smaller but equally impressive Cinnammon Woodpecker is also quite abundant, especially on Plantation Road.

Tawny-throated Leaftosser
Sclerurus mexicanus
Spotted Antbird
Hylophylax naevioides
Bicolored Antbird
Gymnopithys leucaspis
Ocellated Antbird
Phaenosticus mcleannani
Yellow-green Tyrannulet
(A species endemic to Panama)
Phylloscartes flavovirens
Olivaceous Flatbill
Rhynchocyclus olivaceus
Golden-crowned Spadebill
Platyrinchus coronatus

Masked Tityra
Masked Tityra photo by Art Wolfe
Tityra semifasciata

The bird shown in the picture is a female. The male is white, with a light gray wash on the back, and a black mask around the bare facial skin. Tityras are usually seen in pairs or in small groups, frequently on fruiting trees, and they tend to perch out in bare branches. Their calls, somewhat similar to the grunts of a pig, have earned them the vernacular name "Puerquitas", piggies.
The other tityra found in Panama, the Black-crowned Tityra, does not have red facial skin, and is not as common as the Masked is. Lately, it has been reported from the Metropolitan Nature Park.

Purple-throated Fruitcrow
Querula purpurata
Blue Cotinga
Cotinga nattererii
Golden-collared Manakin
Manacus vitellinus
Blue-crowned Manakin
Pipra coronata
Red-capped Manakin
Pipra mentalis
Black-bellied Wren
Thryothorus fasciatoventris
Song Wren
Cyphorhinus phaeocephalus
Green Shrike-Vireo
Vireolanius pulchellus
Bay-headed Tanager
Tangara gyrola

Blue-Gray Tanager
Blue-Gray Tanager photo by Art Wolfe
Thraupis episcopus

The Blue-gray Tanager is one of Panama's most widely distributed birds. Small flocks of this species, usually accompanied by a few Palm Tanagers can be found in almost all residential areas in Panama City, but they are both also common in the forest around the Tower. They are very fond of the fruit of Cecropia trees, as are most fruit-eating species.

Gray-headed Tanager
Eucometis penicillata
White-shouldered Tanager
Tachyphonus luctuosus
Rosy Thrush-Tanager
Rhodinocichla rosea

Scarlet Tanager
Scarlet Tanager photo by Art Wolfe
Piranga olivacea

A male Scarlet Tanager in full breeding plumage, as seen in spring migration, a particularly good time to watch birds at the Canopy Tower. Sometimes as many as five or six Scarlet Tanagers can be seen feeding on a fruiting tree, accompanied by Swainson's Thrushes, Rose-throated Grosbeaks and a myriad of vireos and warblers, all in fresh breeding plumages. Another great spectacle of spring migration is to see the huge flocks of Eastern Kingbirds as they pass through the country. For a few days each season, every fruiting tree is literally covered by these black-and-white birds.

Slate-colored Grosbeak
Pitylus grossus
Slate-colored Seedeater
Sporophila schistacea

Twice every year, great clouds of hawks migrate across the narrows of the Isthmus of Panama, putting on a great show for visitors at the Canopy Tower.

Hawk migration photo by John Cocanower

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bird watching at Panama's Canopy Tower

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