Birding Notes

The Spotted Antbird is a small, striking bird found in the understory of tropical forests. Adults measure about 12.5 cm (5 inches) in length. Males have a black face, throat, and upper chest, contrasting sharply with a white belly that’s covered in bold black spots—hence the name «Spotted.» Their upperparts are olive-brown with chestnut-colored wings marked by white wingbars. Females are similar but duller overall, with a more subdued face pattern and less contrast in the spotting.

This bird has a very particular nest, which consists of a long cone which it builds with vegetable wool and feathers. Its name Panyptila which derives from the Greek roots panu = excessively and ptilon = wing. Its epithet cayennensis refers to Cayenne, the capital of French Guiana.

This species was previously considered conspecific with C. vauxi, C. viridipenis and C. pelagic and is normally difficult to differentiate from other Chaetura. Its name Chaetura derives from the Greek roots khaite = hair and oura = tail. The epithet chapmani was established in honor of the American ornithologist and collector Frank Michler Chapman.

The limpkin (Aramus guarauna), also called carrao, courlan, and crying bird, is a bird that looks like a large rail but is skeletally closer to cranes. It is the only extant species in the genus Aramus and the family Aramidae. It is found mostly in wetlands in warm parts of the Americas, from Florida to northern Argentina. It feeds on molluscs, with the diet dominated by apple snails of the genus Pomacea. Its name derives from its seeming limp when it walks.

The brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) is a North American bird of the pelican family, Pelecanidae. It is one of three pelican species found in the Americas and one of only two that feeds by diving in water. It is found on the Atlantic Coast from Nova Scotia to the mouth of the Amazon River, and along the Pacific Coast from British Columbia to northern Chile, including the Galapagos Islands.