A Bird By Any Other Name

Turquoise-browed motmot, also known as Torogoz

One of the most colorful birds I've seen during our visit to El Salvador is the Turquoise-browed motmot (Eumomota superciliosa), also known as the Torogoz in El Salvador. Found throughout Central America, it is the national bird of both El Salvador and Nicaragua. These birds are often seen perched along roadsides on lines or tree branches where they hunt for insects and small reptiles. Their distinctively shaped tail feathers are found in both sexes, and are often seen wagging back and forth when a predator is spotted. This tail wagging behavior has given rise to the common name of clock bird in the Yucatan.

Roadside hawk of El Salvador

Another interesting bird I encountered on one of my morning bird walks was the unimaginatively named Roadside hawk (Rupornis magnirostris). Measuring 12 to 16 inches long and weighing in at only 250 to 300 grams, this diminutive Accipiter hunts small mammals and birds from posts and lines near roads and open fields. It is used as a falconry bird in El Salvador where it is often trained to hunt small game birds. The hawks can be quite vocal and aggressive during mating season. This one kept a close watch on me and answered loudly as it's mate called from deeper within the woods.

Walking along the banana fields near the marina I could see several volcanos in the hazy distance. The people here burn wood almost exclusively as their source of heat and for cooking. As with Mexico and most of Central America, the city skies are thick with wood smoke and pollution. Even the countryside smells of smoke due to the common practice of burning trash and using fire to clear fields and roadsides of unwanted brush.

Double-striped thick knee 

I was fortunate to encounter a couple of lovely birds with not so pretty names, the Double-striped thick knees (Burins bistriatus). These long legged waders are most frequently active at dawn and dusk and can be found roaming through the lowland fields. They prefer to run instead of fly, resembling long-legged roadrunners as they dashed in and out of the rows of sugar cane looking very much like their reptilian ancestors.

The list of birds to be found here in El Salvador is longer than my arm, and many of them were in evidence during my morning walks. However, few of them were patient enough to allow me time to photograph them. Here are a few of the more obliging birds seen...

Inca doves

 Great kiskadee

Forested path through nature preserve. So many birds to see when walking quietly.