Sun Conure

SUN CONURE, CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA, MARCH 28, 2018

Pentax K-3
Pentax 18-135 at 135mm
1/4000 sec. f7.1
ISO 1600

There are so many species and subspecies of orange, yellow and green parrots in Central and South America that I was unable to find a photograph of an identical (and identified) parrot in either my bird books or on the Internet.

But a visitor at this blog identified it as a Sun Conure, or Sun Parakeet, a popular pet in U.S. households.

I photographed it at the Aviario Nacional de Colombia.

Muscovy Duck

MUSCOVY DUCK, CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA, MARCH 28, 2018

Pentax K-3
Pentax 18-135 at 135mm
1/1250 f8
ISO 1600

Native to Mexico, Central America and South America, the big, homely (and spectacularly smelly) Muscovy duck is sometimes kept as an exotic species on farms in the United States. Its flesh tastes stronger than that of the usual domestic duck, and some locavore restaurants bravely serve it. This example lives in the Aviario Nacional de Colombia near Cartagena.

Northern Screamer

NORTHERN SCREAMER, CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA, MARCH 28, 2018

Pentax K-3
Pentax 55-300 at 300mm
1/1000 sec. f8
ISO 1600

Another of the curious birds at the Aviario Nacional de Colombia, the Northern (or Black-necked) Screamer is a gooselike species mainly native to the riverine lowlands of Colombia. Its numbers are small, and it is one of the loudest birds in the world.

That's probably why few zoos and aviaries feature them.

Black-crowned Night Heron

BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON, CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA, MARCH 28, 2018

Pentax K-3
Pentax 18-135 at 135mm
1/1250 sec. f8
ISO 1600

One of the more interesting denizens of the Aviario Nacional de Colombia is this two-foot-tall, stocky, short-billed, short-necked wading bird that is common throughout most of the world but not often seen except at dusk or dawn, hence its name. Although it looks hunched when resting, its neck extends in flight or when hunting.

White-faced Whistling Ducks

WHITE-FACED WHISTLING DUCKS, CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA, MARCH 28, 2018

Pentax K-3
Pentax 18-135 at 135mm
1/2000 f8
ISO 1600

These two apparent lovebirds are named for their clear three-note whistling call, which can be quite noisy. They are found in South America and Africa, and it is not known which continent they originated upon. They are denizens of the Aviario Nacional de Colombia, one of the great aviaries of the world.

Caracara

NORTHERN CRESTED CARACARA, CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA, MARCH 28, 2018

Pentax K-3
Pentax 18-135 at 135mm
1/2000 sec. f8
ISO 1600

I captured this striking member of the falcon family at the Aviario Nacional de Colombia just outside Cartagena last March and am only now getting around to posting photos of the visit.

The aviario, an hour's drive to an island southwest of the city,  is worth anyone's trouble, and we were there on a morning's excursion from a cruise ship.