Tuesday, March 3, 2026
The Oropéndola That Warned the Forest
By Omar Enrique Verdugo Cabeza, Cuidador de las aves
Omar Enrique Berdugo looked up and found them still, almost solemn, perched high in a great oak tree near aviaries 3 and 4. There were two: the first, a raptor of considerable size with reddish-brown plumage, settled on the branch as though the tree had always been his; the second, more understated, identified as a possible águila negra still in its juvenile stage. The clear Wednesday sky offered nowhere to hide.
But the forest already knew they were there. From a nearby branch, a crested oropéndola — black-bodied, with a bill and tail the color of old gold, larger even than a guacamaya — was sending out its alarm calls in an unbroken stream. This is how the warning system works in the reserve: no one needs to shout. It is enough for the oropéndola to speak.
Omar documented the sighting with quiet patience: 20 photographs and 11 videos of the two raptors holding their sentinel positions, while the crested oropéndola (*Psarocolius decumanus*) went on announcing to the world exactly what it had seen. Three species, one oak tree, and the record of a moment the sanctuary now holds in its memory.
About the author
Omar Enrique Verdugo Cabeza · Cuidador de las aves
Omar has been working at Fundación Loros since 2023. He knows the wilderness and Cerro El Peligro better than anyone. Once a hunter, he has since become a guardian of wildlife. Today, the parrots recognize him and follow him when he returns home — a testament to a bond built on respect and transformation.
