Kenneth and Albert took some of us on a two-hour bird hike this morning. Good birds!
The guides here (and in other parts of Costa Rica I've been to) are amazing. I can't imagine how many years it takes to remember all of this information. Many times they know scientific names, Spanish names, and English names. They also have lots of fun facts - like describing the mating displays of certain birds, mimicking their calls to see where they are, or dashing your illusions about what you thought was a gentle fruit-eating toucan. >:(
Social Flycatcher
Gray-necked Woodrail
Squirrel Cuckoo
The Violaceous Trogon has recently been split into three subspecies due to significant differences in their songs in the North, South and Western parts of Costa Rica. Speciation in action? If ladies in one area no longer respond to the calls of males in another and their paths cross, they may no longer mate. This is called sexual selection (as opposed to natural selection).
Chestnut-mandibled Toucan... I just can't look at these birds the same after what I've learned about them. But I'll have to save that buzzkill of a story for another time.
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