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Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo is quite possibly the most eagerly sought-after
species for birders visiting central Panama. It has probably never been common
anywhere in its range, and as it is a skulker by nature the bird has achieved
almost mythic status. The irregular sightings of the bird have come from many locations
within the area covered by Tower and Lodge tours; I am aware of reports from Cerro Azul, Semaphore Hill, Pipeline
Road, Altos del Maria, and La Zamia Trail below Cerro Gaital. But perhaps the most "reliable"
spot for Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo in recent months has been around El Chorro Macho in El Valle, mere minutes' walk
from the Canopy Lodge! The cuckoos have been found in attendance at ant swarms on something approaching a regular basis, perhaps
once a month or so. José Perez, a part-time guide at the Canopy Lodge, informed me that in his first year of employ at Chorro
Macho he saw Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo perhaps seven times, a number not far off from Carlos Bethancourt's count in ten years as a full-time guide at
the Canopy Tower (and Carlos is considered lucky in regards to ground-cuckoos!).
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