The fan-shaped crest of the Guianan cock-of-the-rock evolved through sexual selection and it plays a crucial role in courtship displays. Males with the largest, most symmetrical, and eye-catching crests tend to attract more females at the communal lek sites where mating occurs. The disc-like shape helps exaggerate head movements and catch the light during their elaborate dances, making the male more visually striking. Over time, this preference likely drove the evolution of such an extreme and ornamental feature, even if it makes feeding and vision slightly less efficient, the payoff in reproductive success outweighs the cost. In this image, the bird is staring straight at camera and you can see the usually hidden beak. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 4000, f/5.6 at 1/125th of a second.

While waiting for my plane at a grass airstrip in Guyana, I spotted a few blue-and-yellow macaws that were flying around the local village. This one ended up in one of the locals’ backyard. Also known as the blue-and-gold macaw, these parrots are as loud visually as they are vocally, often emitting raucous squawks that echo through the canopy (or the neighborhood). They are highly intelligent birds that form strong pair bonds and are often seen flying in mated pairs or social groups. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 450, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second.

The giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) is known for its long snout, bushy tail, and incredibly sticky tongue to slurp up those ants and termites. They are mostly solitary and rely heavily on a keen sense of smell, 40 times stronger than ours, to locate their prey. I photographed this solo anteater in Guyana last year. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 102mm) ISO 720, f/2.8 at 1/250th of a second.

These squirrel monkeys were daily visitors to the mango trees in the backyard of the lodge I was staying at in Guyana. They are appropriately named as they really are about the size of a common grey squirrel. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 1800, f/5.6 at 1/500th of a second.

I had to shoot through a lot of foreground foliage for this one, but according to my guide, this subspecies of the green and rufous kingfisher is a rarity — at least for the area of Guyana that we were hiking in. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 1800, f/5.6 at 1/500th of a second.

Here’s another look at the Guianan cock-of-the-rock, one of the key species I went to Guyana to photograph last February. Certainly one of the most unique birds I’ve had the pleasure of viewing in the wild. Seeing that bright reddish-orange plumage contrasted against all the green of the Iwokrama rainforest was pretty spectacular. Not to mention, it has one of the coolest beaks around (although that black-lined disk isn’t actually the beak, but rather an ornamental crest). The beak is quite small and at the tip of the crest. The rainforests of Guyana are among the four most pristine tropical forests in the world. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 6400, f/5.6 at 1/100th of a second.

I sat quietly in the bushes and waited while this giant anteater slowly moved in my direction. They have a good sense of smell but are practically blind so with the wind blowing in my direction, I was able to get extremely close without the anteater knowing I was even there. I snapped a few quick headshots before it continued on its way. This gives a good look at that long snout that it uses to lap up all those ants. Photographed in Guyana earlier this year.Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second.

Great curassows were regular visitors to the backyard of the jungle lodge I was staying at in Guyana. They usually showed up early in the morning and then again at the end of the day just before getting dark. This is the male. Females are more of a reddish color and lack the yellow beak. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 24-70mm lens (at 24mm) ISO 8000, f/5.6 at 1/320th of a second.

We were on our way to the airport when a brilliant flash of color caught our eye. There were four or five red and green macaws roosting in a dead tree trunk, squawking away as they jockeyed for position. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 140, f/5.6 at 1/320th of a second.

A giant anteater heads home after a night of foraging on Guyana’s Rupunini savanna. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 450, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second.