Page 307 - The Rough Guide to Panama (Travel Guide)

Wildlife CONTEXTS 305
thousand-plus species of delicate orchid and bromeliads, whose leaves trap moisture,
providing water for numerous tree-dwelling organisms. Back down on the coast, some
1700 square kilometres of mostly red, white and black mangroves constitute a vital
buffer zone, serving both terrestrial and marine ecologies.

Fauna
Though most visitors yearn to catch sight of a jaguar or tapir, you’ll likely have to
settle for smaller mammals and the less elusive members of the avian and amphibian
populations, which can be just as fascinating.

Birds
Panama lays claim to more than 990 recorded species of bird, more than Canada and
the US combined, and greater than any Central American state. The 17km Camino del
Oleoducto (Pipeline Road) in the former Canal Zone alone boasts a species list of more
than four hundred. Even Panama City harbours egrets to elaenias, parakeets to pelicans:
avian-rich locations within the greater city boundaries include the Metropolitan and
other parks, Panamá Viejo, the Amador Causeway and round Cerro Ancón and Balboa.
Acting as a continental funnel, Panama sees many migrants, with numbers peaking in
September and October and returning in more dispersed fashion from March to May.
During this period, more than a million shore birds carpet the Pacific coastal mud flats,
though it is the raptor migration that captures the imagination. Hundreds of thousands
of turkey vultures, interspersed with Swainson’s and broad-winged hawks, ride the
thermals, wheeling their way along the isthmus (late Oct to Nov), a spectacular sight best
appreciated from the summit of Cerro Ancón or one of Gamboa’s several canopy lookouts.
While twitchers may get excited locating a dull-coloured rare endemic in the
undergrowth, average nature-lovers will be more impressed by the visually dazzling
birds. The cloud forests of Chiriquí afford an unparalleled opportunity to spot the
iridescent emerald-and-crimson resplendent quetzal – especially visible and striking
during spring courtship displays – while the Darién jungle maintains a similar
reputation for the harpy eagle, Panama’s gigantic national bird and arguably the
world’s most powerful raptor, with its distinctive tousled crest and ferocious giant
talons (see box, p.285). Other glamour birds include the country’s multicoloured,
raucous parrots (loros), including five species of endangered macaw (guacamaya). Sadly
depleted through the pet trade, loss of habitat and hunting – their flashy tail feathers
make a customary adornment for some traditional costumes and dances – they have
been forced into more remote areas, with the scarlet macaw making its last stand on
the island of Coiba. Panama’s seven varieties of toucan (tucán), including toucanets
and aracaris, are another psychedelic feature of the landscape; their oversized rainbow-
coloured bills help pluck hard-to-reach berries and regulate body temperature.
Abundant in the Canal area and round Cerro Ancón, they are most easily spotted
croaking in the canopy early morning or late afternoon. Panama’s 55 types of
hummingbird (colibrí) are spellbinding as they hover round flowers and feeders
as if suspended in air, or whizz past your ear at some 50km/h. Lustrous tanagers,
smart trogans and the distinctive racquet-tailed motmots will also turn heads.
Some birds are more notable for their behaviour: jacanas, whose vast, spindly feet
enable them to stride across floating vegetation, are nicknamed “lily-trotters”; minute
fluffy manakins conduct manic acrobatic courtship displays in their communal mating
arenas known as leks; and the prehistoric-looking potoo is a nocturnal insectivore that
camouflages itself on the end of a tree stump during the day, invisible to would-be
predators. Spend enough time in the Western Highlands, especially in the breeding
season (March–Sept), and you’re likely to hear the distinctly unbell-like metallic
“boing” of the strange-looking three-wattled bellbird complete with what look like
strands of liquorice hanging from its beak; audible from almost a kilometre away, it is

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