Saturday, August 15, 2026

Smithsonian National Zoo: Amazonia, Part 2 (the Rainforest Level)

 Climb the stairs or ride the elevator up to the main level and you enter a magical world.  Welcome to the Amazon.  Pathways guide you through and around tropical trees while a river flows always to the right. The variety and range of plants is fascinating.  The only disappointing aspect on this visit was the lack of variety in the birds.  I spent a lot of time there and only encountered three species.  The aforementioned Roseate Spoonbill, a quartet of Scarlet Ibis and a pair of Yellow-Rumped Cacique.  And still, sometimes less is more.  I really had time to watch these birds.  Some came surprisingly close.  

The Roseate Spoonbill came out of nowhere to plop itself in the middle of the pathway, surrounded by about a dozen lucky visitors, and he just strode about!  No one touched him--I was very impressed by my fellow guests' restraint.  However, there were some amazing photos taken!
The pair of Yellow-Rumped Cacique.




Roseate Spoonbill

Scarlet Ibis


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