THE COMMON BLACK HAWK

This is a mainly coastal dwelling Hawk which feeds mainly on land crabs, hence its Spanish name Gavilán Cangrejo.

Living chiefly in estuaries, mangroves and coastal woodland it is found throughout the warmer parts of the Americas from the Amazon-as all the way up to the southwestern USA.

Measuring 40 cm to 50 cm tall 

It has a white horizontal band through its tail feathers, and it is this which chiefly distinguishes it from the Great black hawk.

THE GREAT BLACK HAWK

Found from Northern Argentina to Mexico including Colombia,  Peru, 

The Guyanas, Central America  and other countries Of Latin America, It is similar to the 

Common Black hawk but it has different tail markings with less white marks and the bird is larger and heavier, Appearing slightly stockier.

Resident of the Forrest and wooded land the bird associates itself with water, both salt or fresh.    

From 50 to 60 centimetres in hight and weighing in at around one kilo or 2.2 pounds, 

 This hawk feeds on Rodents, small animals, Reptiles, Birds, bats and eggs.

CHOCO TOUCAN

Inhabiting the thickly forested humid Choco, Darien and Pacific lowlands of Ecuador, 

Mainly living on tropical fruits and nuts but these birds will also take small lizards eggs and insects.

It is distinguished by its yellow bill with the lower mandibular which is black, the chest is yellow and there is a red under-tail feathers whilst the upper tail-feathers are white.

THE KING VULTURE

This very colourful vulture with a white and black body and multi coloured head is of  Central and South America,  and it is found mainly in tropical lowland forest Savannah and plains, all the way from Southern Mexico to Northern Argentina.

This is the bird of the mayan carvings and codices and often portrayed as a king and messenger top the gods, it is a close living relative of the Andean Condor giving it a bit of a royal pedigree.  

On finding a good carcass it will force other vultures away and eat its fill before allowing the lesser vultures their turn deferring only to the mighty condor, perhaps this is why it earned the King part of its name.

Only the Condors are larger vultures than the King, and it has a  wingspan of 1.25 to 2 meters and weighing up to 5 kilos, the male and female appear very similar.

This vulture was spotted with a second up in a tree in the Pinas River of Darien.

There was an incredibly strong odour of rotting flesh but on searching no carcass was found, leading us to think that the kill had been hauled high into the tree they were on, perhaps a large cat was responsible for that.

They will pass hours soaring on the thermals looking for carrion, they do not migrate staying in the same geographical region they were hatched in, they find themselves a mate which is for life.

Their eggs hatch after some 55 days and the chicks mature quickly taking flight from their nests after three months.

CHESTNUT MANDIBLE TOUCAN

This Toucan can be found from Honduras to Colombia, This bird is quite large, the male   some 55 cm in length and the  female slightly smaller, both  male and female appear similar, they can be found High in the canopy of the lowland rain Forrest.

They move about in small groups usually of 2 to five birds, and their distinctive cries can be heard from a distance especially at sunset when they roost, in the canopy, for this they throw up their heads vertically and let out their calls, it can be a pretty energetic site to watch a group communicating.

They feed on a wide variety of fruits, which helps in dispersing seeds about the forest, also they take small insects and lizards.

ARACARI TOUCAN OF DARIEN

The Aracari toucan

Seen here high in the Forrest In Darien, you can make out the triangular pattern of their bill and saffron colouring of the chest.

Found in the forests of  Latin America from the south of Mexico right down to the Tip of South America, they eat tropical fruits and nuts but also will take small insects and small prey.

They are generally found in groups their eggs and chicks are often tended by other Aracaris whom are not the immediate parents, showing a complex group behaviour. 

Often  they will use old woodpecker holes for their nests where they lay  up to four eggs, The young will leave the nest after about 45 days,

The adult bird is up to 45 cm long, both male and female appearing similar, they have a distinctive round spot on their yellow chests 

THE KEEL BILLED TOUCAN

The very colourful nature of this toucan has also earned it the name of the rainbow billed toucan, this one is peering down through the canopy at the strange photographer below.

The bill is truly magnificent and can reach almost 20 cm long, it eats fruits and insects, small lizards, frogs and birds eggs.

 It inhabits the rain forests from the south of Mexico to the south of Colombia and Venezuela.

The Toucan can live to 20 years of age and the female will lay up to  five eggs at a time.

The bill as with all toucan bills are extremely light weight and made of Keratin, the same as your fingernails.

This bird is social and as such travels and nests in groups often using holes made by woodpeckers in the trees.

THE WHITE HAWK

The female white hawk is larger at around 850 grams and the male is around 650 grams, They range from Mexico to Northern South America, down as far as Bolivia and Brazil, it is found in the tropical humid forests, this bird has a very large range.

Though the species varies through these countries, the markings generally get darker the further south it is found.

These photographs are of the type found in Panama and Colombia and were taken in Darien.

The hawk feeds on reptiles. Rodents, insects, small fish, eggs, they make a large stick nest high in a tree where the female will lay  in general one egg.

THE COCOI HERON

The Cocoi Heron is a large heron of the Americas in fact it is the largest of South America.

Its diet consists of small fish, crabs, frogs and other small aquatic animals both of the inland fresh water streams and of the mangroves, marshes and Beaches.

This Heron is seen here hunting for small fish on the beach, they stand up to 135 cm tall And are a striking sight when seen.

THE WOODPECKER OR CARPINTERO BIRD

There are more than two hundred species of woodpeckers which are distributed around the world.                                                       They make their nests in old trees which they make using their beaks.

They of course make the characteristic rhythmic drumming of wood sound for which they are known, making them easy to find in the forest.

The woodpecker measures between 20cm and 60cm in height and live wherever there are forests around the world. They will eat fruit and their tongues are sticky for the purpose of extracting insects which they also eat. Their skulls are well reinforced for the purpose of chipping and hammering away at wooden logs and trees which they use not only to build their nests but as a form of long distant communication.