Tour Guide Profile: Carlos Bethancourt
Carlos Bethancourt was born and raised in Panama and is known as the nation’s top birder. Having studied in the USA and trained formally in Ornithology he has an excellent understanding of Neotropical birds. Carlos leads our Panama tours.
Carlos A. Bethancourt was born in Panama City, Panama in 1978 and grew up in the little village of Huile, bordering the forest of the old Canal Zone. His fascination with the natural world comes from his childhood visits to his grandmother's home, deep in the neighboring forest. He recalls seeing lots of birds and mammals around her house. "I loved watching trogons, motmots, and night monkeys, but did not know their names," says Carlos. "Now I even know their calls, their English, Spanish, and Latin names, and also their behavior." After finishing high school in Panama, he won a scholarship from the USAID and Georgetown University to study natural resources at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon. It was there that he began birding in an organized fashion, and where he received his first formal training in ornithology. Upon his return to Panama in October of 2000, he immediately started working in the Canopy Tower where he further refined his birding skills, and birded with some of the best known professional birding guides in the world. In 2002, Carlos attended the American Birding Association Convention in Duluth, Minnesota. While participating in one of the field trips, he was able to identify a raptor flying very high in the sky. He was immediately nicknamed "Hawk Eyes" by the other birders. In 2007 he was invited to Participate in the World Series of Birding in Cape May NJ, where his team the Red Star achieved an impressive 6th position. Carlos has participated in the Space Coast Birding Festival in Titusville Fl, where he did talks about Panama birds and also guided field trips as a volunteer. Carlos has been birding in Texas, Arizona, Oregon, Cape May, Duluth, Utah, Montana and Florida. He has also birded in the UK and Holland, where he has conducted talks about the birds of Panama at the British Bird Fair and UK based bird clubs. Carlos’s enthusiasm and passion for nature and birdwatching grow by the year!
