AOU Checklist changes affecting Panamá

Last month issue of The Auk (the American Ornithologist's Union -AOU- publication) includes a supplement of the checklist with some important changes affecting the taxonomy of the birds in North America (and Hawaii).  I will mention only those affecting the birds found in Panamá, and I'm including not only splits and lumps, but also name changes and other issues.

In taxonomic order, I will start with the shorebirds.  Now, many species considered monotypical are now included within the genus Calidris.  That means, we now list the Surfbird as Calidris virgata, Buff-breasted Sandpiper as Calidris subruficollis and Ruff as Calidris pugnax.  The order of the species within the genus Calidris also changed, as well as the sequence of the families within the Charadriiformes order.

There are three Calidris virgata in the flock

The Green-crowned Woodnymph is re-lumped with the Violet-crowned Woodnymph and re-adopt the name Crowned Woodnymph (Thalurania colombica) based on better understanding of the ranges and intergrades within these two forms in Colombia (however, they are not known to come into contact in our country).

Former Green-crowned Woodnymph from Ecuador

Black-crowned Antshrike (Thamnophilus atrinucha) is the new name for the Western Slaty-Antshrike due to genetic evidence indicating that our form is not related to the "real" south american slaty-antshrikes, in spite of the physical similarities.  Both subspecies of Immaculate Antbird found in Panamá (Myrmeciza i. zeledoni from Costa Rica and western Panamá, and M. i. macrorhyncha from eastern Panamá and western Colombia and Ecuador) are now called Zeledon's Antbird (Myrmeciza zeledoni), a new species different from the Immaculate Antbird restricted now to Colombia and Venezuela.  Also, the latin name of the Rufous-rumped Antwren change to Euchrepomis callinota.

Black-crowned Antshrike (it's going to be difficult to get used to this name)

As expected, the Thrush-like Schiffornis was split into four species, with two forms occurring in Panamá: the dull, uniformly olivaceous Northern Schiffornis (S. veraepacis) found in both lowlands and highlands of western Panamá, and highlands of central and eastern Panamá (except the Alturas de Nique massif) and the more rufous, gray-bellied Russet-winged Schiffornis (S. stenorhyncha) found in lowlands of central and eastern Panamá (and all elevations of the Alturas de Nique massif).

Bad photo of a Northern Schiffornis, from Altos del María

The Green Manakin is called now Xenopipo holochlora, and both Red-capped and Golden-headed Manakins changed their genus to Ceratopipra instead of Pipra.  Also, the checklist sequence of the manakins changed.

Ceratopipra mentalis

According to Gregory and Dickinson (2012), Ptilogonys (and Ptilogonatidae, the latin name of the Silky-Flycatchers family) is an incorrect spelling and has no nomenclatural standing.  The checklist corrects this and now the name of the family is changed to Ptiliogonatidae and the genus to Ptiliogonys, affecting the latin name of the Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher to Ptiliogonys caudatus.

A minor misspelling was corrected in the latin name of this common species

The latin name of the Common Bush-Tanagers changed to Chlorospingus flavopectus (however, there are no splits in this group).

Common Bush-Tanager... I was expecting splits in this species!

Some issues are pending, other were not even mentioned... notably the Blue-diademed/Whooping Motmot.  Surely more studies are needed before a formal pronunciation of the AOU.

There will always be hummingbirds to impress

Yesterday, I went to Pipeline road beyond the town of Gamboa (central Panama) in order to show some nature to my nephew Michael. Along with Gloriela and Osvaldo Quintero, we drove all the way to the sleepy town, stopping as usual at the Ammo Dump. The place was very quiet, with few birds present except by the numerous Rusty-margined Flycatchers and a flock of Keel-billed Toucans. We heard a pair of Yellow-backed Orioles and the always-present White-throated Crakes. The vegetation in the ponds was very tall, so it was difficult to spot anything. Other birds in the area included Greater Anis, Red-lored Amazons and Scrub Greenlets in good numbers, and many seedeaters and Gray-breasted Martins at the entrance of the ponds. We decided to go directly to the first bridge in Pipeline road to walk from there. The activity was unusually low and we only recorded some common species like Dot-winged and Checker-throated Antwrens, Western Slaty Antshrikes, Black-faced Antthrush, a single Stripe-chested Antpitta (only heard), Brown-capped Tyrannulets, Purple-throated Fruitcrows and a pair of Blue-black Grosbeaks feeding on a palm tree. The slaty-antshrikes were particularly conspicuous, with a pair quite often found along the road. We found also a cooperative pair of White-whiskered Puffbirds, one of them allowed some photos. It became clear that the activity was not going to get any better, so we decided to head back before reaching the second bridge. I worried about the interest of my nephew, but he seemed to be doing just fine, considering that EVERYTHING was new for him (he is essentially a city boy), including not only the birds, but also the Howlers Monkeys, the agoutis, the anoles, the Green Iguanas and all the wildlife that we found in the road (including the Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth that we found later). To keep him interested, we drove to the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center (PRDC) in order to have a snack and to watch the hummingbirds' show. Trust me, the hummingbirds at the Center never fail to impress... hordes of thirsty hummingbirds all around, chasing each other and perching very low (want to experience it... check this old video). Here is a small gallery of the hummingbirds that showed up, more or less in taxonomical order (some photos are of previous visits):This Long-billed Hermit was lekking with other males close to the Center allowing great shots.The tiny Stripe-throated Hermit hurries to drink before being thrown by the other species.Usually, the White-necked Jacobin is one of the most abundant and aggresive species at the feeders.

One or two males Violet-crowned Woodnymphs are always present. They usually look dark in the field (not the case of this photo!).

The Violet-bellied Hummingbird is one of the most abundant species at the feeders. A real jewel.

The Blue-chested Hummingbird could be impressive too, with the suitable light! The female is more modest.So agressive in the city, in the PRDC the Rufous-tailed Hummingbird is dominated by several bigger species.The White-vented Plumeleteer is quite big... and agressive too!

Is not only the variety of species... it is also the numbers. And those were only the species that we saw yesterday! The list of hummingbirds recorded in this feeders ascend to 13 different species, which is an excelent number for the lowlands. Now you see why I think that place is simply great if you want to introduce somebody into nature and outdoors activities (like birdwatching). In the way out, it was another thing that impressed my nephew: the sighting of a huge ship crossing the Panama Canal in front of us, with the forest as background... great way to call it a day!

Back to the tropics

After my trip to Toronto, Canada, I have been a little busy. I ended my residency in Internal Medicine (I published a photo album of my graduation in facebook) and I'm finishing the final report of my research, waiting to present it next may 19th. In the meanwhile, I got lot of free time to spend... you guess: birding. I tried a classic spot to start: the Rainforest Discovery Center at the Pipeline Road (central Panama). There have been reports of some species I have missed this year (nop, not the Ground-Cuckoo) and I wanted to say hello to all the personnel that works there. After leaving Gloriela at her hospital, I drove to Gamboa, stopping first at the Ammo Dump. The place was alive with all the Yellow-rumped Caciques that are nesting in the area and all the flycatchers on the trees surrounding the ponds. A Panama Flycatcher was quiet, inspecting some branches close to the gate; contrasting with the pair of Rusty-margined Flycatchers that were very noisy, flying from one spot to another following each other. The yellow crown patch was visible, something that often happens. Others flycatchers present were Social, Boat-billed and Dusky-capped Flycatchers, plus both Kiskadees. A look into the ponds revealed Green Heron, Wattled Jacana, White-throated Crake (only heard), and a female Pygmy Kingfisher that was a new year-bird for me (I missed it in Galeta during the Atlantic CBC in january). Nice introduction for the day! I moved to the Center where I took the trail to the Calamito lake, an arm of the Gatun lake where Sungrebes and Least Grebes have been reported recently. Of course I spent few minutes admiring the excellent show performed by all those thirsty hummingbirds at the feeders and said hello to Julia and Margelys who were ready to attend the visitors. On route I heard, and saw, a Green Shrike-Vireo, and heard a Pheasant Cuckoo, both new year-birds for me. The activity in the lake was slow. I walked a little bit along the shore just to spied the other side of the lake that is not visible from the observation deck... disturbingly followed by a huge American Crocodile! Then I waited... and waited... Eventually the Lesser Kiskadees and the Wattled Jacanas trusted them (and me) enough to get very close, since I already looked like part of the deck, waiting for the grebes to appear. According to Osvaldo, they usually show up by 8:00 AM, but it was 9:00 AM and nothing yet. A Cinnammon Woodpecker started to call just a few feet over my head and a Snail Kite was flying around its territory. By the way, I saw a good number of raptors flying by, including a Zone-tailed Hawk, a Merlin and a Bat Falcon. A pair of Common Moorhens (Gallinules) gave me a false alarm and a flock of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks took off from some branches where they were hidden. Half-hour later I was about to return when suddenly a little white dot in the distance started to move, crossing the lake. A quick glimpse with my bins showed a distant Sungrebe swimming fast to the other side of the lake. I grabbed my camera and took a few shots just to realize that it was VERY far away... but a Sungrebe anyway! With faith you will see him in the center of the photo (OK, you may need to enlarge it!). I did not wait more for the Least Grebes so I returned to the Center, this time to say good-bye. A quick stop by the Juan Grande creek in Pipeline Road only produced a Western Slaty Antshrike and a Pheasant Cuckoo who crossed the road in front of me... RUNNING! It started to rain, so I headed back to the city, with lots of new year-birds!