Ecuador Birds Photo Gallery
Ecuador's birds are the
main attraction for many tourists. There are around 1600
different types of bird in the little country of Ecuador,
which is possibly the
highest diversity of birds in the world. Even in the middle
of Quito you can see hummingbirds and flycatchers, and the abundance of
birdlife in the rainforests, cloudforests and rural mountain valleys is
just
breathtaking. Many of the Ecuador bird species, such as this
motmot below, are distinctive with colourful plumage.
Motmot (Momotus),
San Luís de Pambíl, Ecuador.
Photo by Paul Bamford.
Ecuador
is a birdwatcher´s paradise. With so many different
ecosystems in such a small country, it´s easy to organise
birding trips to see everything from tiny forest birds to the giant
condor of the high mountains. Some of the birds of Ecuador
are endemic, to the delight of ornithologists and experts in avifauna.
Many of Ecuador´s birds, such as the red-masked
parakeet below, are
brightly coloured and easy to identify, even for amateur bird-watchers.
Red-Masked Parakeet
(Aratinga Erythrogenys),
Ecuador.
Photo by Paul Bamford
Unfortunately,
and often illegally, some of Ecuador´s birds are captured and
kept in captivity, either in Ecuador as pets or exported for the
illegal trade
in wild or endangered birds. Many people in Ecuador do not
have the education or awareness to understand that these beautiful
birds would be best off in the wild and that some species are at risk
of extinction. Macaws are large, noisy and destructive and do
not make ideal pets, but it is easy to see the attraction of their
bright plumage.
Scarlet Macaw (Ara
Macao), Ecuador. Photo by Paul Bamford.
Other
woodland
birds of Ecuador, such as this woodpecker below, have more subtle
colouring but can be spotted with a little patience and a quiet walk
through the many bird-rich woods and forests. A good
bird-watching guidebook is a great help with identification and an
experienced birding guide will help you to see far more birds than you
would alone. Remember to bring your binoculars on a
bird-watching trip to Ecuador as they are not easily available here and
it would be a shame to miss out on seeing some of the shyer birds of
Ecuador.
Golden Olive Woodpecker
(piculus rubiginosus),
San Luis de Pambil, Ecuador. Photo by
Paul Bamford.
Cattle
egrets
are common in and around San Luis de Pambil in the west of
Ecuador. This one below is sporting its breeding plumage - a
golden crown and foreneck, also with traces of gold on the back.
Outside of the breeding season, cattle egrets have all white
plumage and the bill is a paler yellow.
Cattle Egret (Bubulcus
Ibis) in breeding plumage. Photo by Paul Bamford.
Over
15% of the
world´s bird species are represented in Ecuador, so this
photo
gallery cannot hope to show them all. The best solution is to
visit Ecuador and see the birds for yourself. In just a few
days
you should be able to see hundreds of different types of birds.
Baron´s
Hermit Hummingbird.
Photo by Paul Bamford in San Luis de Pambil, Ecuador
Ecuador
has over 130 different species of hummingbird - tiny birds, many with
glittering, jewel-bright plumage, with the ability to hover in midair
and even fly backwards. For
more hummingbird photos, see the Ecuador
Hummingbird Photo Gallery.
All
images on this site are copyright and may
not be used without the express, written permission of CRACYP.
Thanks to Paul Bamford for his bird photos and other
images. Also thanks to Roz Gordon for allowing us to use
images
from her Ecuador trip.
To
see some of Ecuador's birds for yourself, visit San
Luis de
Pambil on a farmstay holiday
or one of our other ecotourism
initiatives in Ecuador.
