Birds and Beasts. Sometime around 2.8 – 4 million years ago (Anthony Coates et al) the isthmus of Panama closed creating a land bridge between South America and the north. The closing was significant, the ocean circulation between the west and the east changed causing worldwide implications on the climate of the planet. It also allowed for the migration of the primarily mammalian North American fauna and the Marsupials of South American to migrate – known as the Great Faunal Exchange (First mentioned by Alfred Russell Wallace a contemporary of Darwin who came up with the theory of evolution concurrently with Darwin). Evolution has clearly been in play ever since. The success of the mammals and the extinction of the marsupials (with the exception of the opossum in North America) has left its mark. Whilst birds may not have been constrained by the lack of a land bridge, the geographical distances have allowed for a divergence in evolution characteristics.

The camel left the scene in North America (NA) but its descendants are abundant in South America, the Vicuna, Guanaco, Llama and Alpacas. The flamingo flourished (none are actually native to North America) and diversified (The Andean Flamingo). Compare the Andean Coot with its colorful markings to its more muted cousin in NA. There almost seems to be a Latin flare with almost all the birds, such as the Andean goose, swan and blue teal. Almost as if they had to pick their colors from the mineral palette of the earth.

While this is only a slice of the South American continent, focused in the dry arid lands of the high Andes,