Our favorite birds for birdwatching in Ecuador

Our favorite birds for birdwatching in Ecuador

To be well informed about the many different birds that you can find in Ecuador we established this separate page about our favorite birds that you may discover during your birdwatching tour in Ecuador.

Antbirds

a Moustached Antpitta on the ground

Moustached Antpitta
Grallaria alleni

This midsize to large antpitta is quite rare. It lives in subtropical forest undergrowth.

Boobies / Sulas

two nazca bobbys in the sand

Nazca booby
Sula granti

Galapagos and Isla de la Plata, coastal areas, lives at open Sea when not breeding.

blue footed booby on a rock

Blue-footed booby
Sula nebouxii

Galapagos and Isla de la Plata, coastal areas.

Cardinals

redcapped cardinal

Red-capped cardinal
Paroaria gularis

Can be found in open waterside areas (East of Ecuador).

Cotinga

Andean cock of the rock

Andean Cock of the Rock
Rupicola Peruviana

Lives in subtropical forests, near rivers.

Flycatchers

grey masked water tyrant on leafs

Grey masked water tyrant
Fluvicola nengeta

This Ecuadorian bird can be found in lower subtropics, near water.

social Flycatcher on a leaf

Social Flycatcher
Myiozetetes similis

Open wooded areas, near to water.

Herons

snowy egret in swampland

Snowy egret
Egretta thula

An Ecuadorian Bird that is mostly seen in Galapagos, near fresh and saltwater.

juvenile striated heron in Ecuador

Striated heron (juv.)
Butorides striata

Common in lowlands, near water.

Lava heron on rocks

Lava heron
Butorides sundevalli

Galapagos only.

Hummingbirds

long tailed slyph on a branch

Long-tailed sylph
Aglaiocercus coelestis

Common in the eastern forest.

hummingbird Sparkling violetear

Long-tailed sylph
Aglaiocercus coelestis,

Common in the eastern forest.

booted racket tail hummingbird

Booted racked-tail
Ocreatus underwoodii

great sapphirewing hummingbird

Great sapphirewing
Pterophanes cyanopterus

This bird is fairly seen in humid temperate forests.

Motmots

broad billed motmot in the forest

Broad-billed motmot
Electron platyrhynchum

Can be observed in humid forests. In east Ecuador mostly in flooded areas.

Opisthocomidae

hoatzin in the jungle

Hoatzin
Opisthocomus hoazin,

Very common in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

Tanager

blue necked tanager eating a seed

Blue-necked Tanager
Tangara cyanicollis

Outside the forest, rather seen in subtropical forest edge.

flame faced tanager on a branch

Flame-faced Tanager
Tangara parzudakii

Andean mixed area, near canopy

blue swallow tanager in Ecuador

Swallow Tanager
Tersina veridis

Lives on the humid forest edge, widespread in South America.

Trogons

Masked trogon in the trees

Masked trogon
Trogon personatus

There are eight subspecies of the masked trogon that live in humid montane forests.

Woodpeckers

two crimso mantled woodpeckers

Crimson-mantled woodpecker
Colaptes rivolii

Remarkable about this woodpecker are its bright red and yellow colors.

Of course this is just a small selection. For a complete reference of all the birds in Ecuador we recommend this great field guide:

book "birds of Ecuador"

Ridgely, Robert S. and Paul J. Greenfield (2001). The Birds of Ecuador: Field Guide. Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0801487217.

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