Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
oured, 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 an-
other 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 af-
ternoon. 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 “lilly-trotters”; minute fluffy
mana-
kins
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 considered one of the loudest bird songs on earth. Mention should also
be made of the ubiquitous
oropéndola
(gold pendulum); these large, generally russet-toned
birds with outsize pointed beaks and golden tails, are renowned for their colonies of skillfully
woven hanging nests, which dangle from tall trees like Christmas decorations.
Terrestrial mammals
Spotting any of Panama's 230-plus mammal species - half of which are small
bats
- requires
luck and persistence and is nigh on impossible when it comes to Panama's “big-five” wild
cats, which in descending size order are the
jaguar
,
puma
,
jaguarundi
,
ocelot
and
margay
.
Nocturnal and shy at the best of times, from years of human predation, they are most numer-
ous in the country's two remaining wilderness areas at either end of the isthmus: the Darién
and Amistad.
Spotting tracks in the morning mud is the closest you're likely to get to a jaguar in the wild.
Referred to as a “
tigre
” (tiger) by indigenous populations and revered as a symbol of power
and strength, the jaguar is the world's third largest feline after the lion and tiger, weighing in
at around 60-90kg, and with leopard-like markings. It's more probable you'll encounter its
dinner, be it
deer
(
venado
), the raccoon-like
coati
(
gato solo
), or large rodents such as the
agouti
(
ñeque
) or the nocturnal
paca
(
conejo pintado
, literally “painted rabbit” on account of
its white spots). Panama also harbours the world's largest rodent, the
capybara
, which can
tip the scales at 65kg; resembling a giant guinea pig, it wallows in the shallows round Gam-
