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Ecuador • ECUADOR I N G D R I B • Ecuador • ECUADOR TEXT BY KEITH BARNES In Ecuador, a country smaller than South Africa’s Northern Cape Pro vince, 1 560 bird species are crammed into a mêlée of ecosystems erupting with life. Only three other countries in the world hold more bird species, and they too are in South America, the bird continent. cuador’s minute size and good infra- Campbell, Ecuadorian resident and my families the New World offers. No sooner structure make it arguably the best travel ling companion, had hired a car, and had the vehicle stopped than a small iri­­ country in the world for birdwatch- we set off for one of Ecuador’s giant moun- descent bumblebee came past; dismissing Eers. The reason is simple: the Equator, tains, the snow-capped cone of Cotapaxi. it, I continued my search for chat-tyrants Amazon, Andes, Tumbes and and spine tails. ‘That’s not a bum- PETE OXFORD Galapagos all converge here, and blebee,’ bellowed Iain, ‘It’s a hum- conspire to create a multitude of mingbird!’ The Chimbarazo Hill- diverse habitats, arguably unparal- star, an endemic Ecuado rian hum- leled anywhere else in the world. mer, is indeed diminutive. This The northern tip of theThe coastal Andes to the Amazonminute hovering jewel, clad in iri- Ata cama desert system and the descent shingles of sapphire, western fringe of lowland Amazonia maroon and verdant green, feeds are separated by about 300 kilome- almost ex clu sive ly on the orange tres as the condor flies; the inter- flowers of a highly localised plant, vening barrier, the Andes, rises to Chuquiragua insignis. Each evening, over in order to survive the icy chill of 6 000 metres above sea level. the High Andes’ nights, this tiny A self-confessed AAA (Africa bird enters a state of torpor, lower- Addict Anonymous), I doubted ing its body temperature from 40 that birding in the Neo tropics °C to 15 °C, a stunning feat for a could live up to its in flated repu- warm-blooded creature. tation. I was hopelessly wrong. The hillstar’s minute global Where else in the world can you range, like that of many of Ecua- see 700 species in four weeks and dor’s birds, is restricted to a hand- still miss out on more than half ful of mountain tops. The species the birds in the country? What is also occurs on Ecuador’s famous more, species entirely new to sci- Papallacta Pass, which traverses MURRAY COOPER ence are still being discovered in PETE OXFORD the Andes. This is one of the high- Top The elegant Golden-headed The glamorous Andean Cock of the Rock in all its glory. Ecuador at the rate of about one a est road passes in the world and, Quetzal. The Incas considered year. In 1999 Bob Ridgley discov- with the imposing Volcan Anti- quetzals to be sacred and killing ered the glorious Jocotoco Antpitta less Reaching a height of 5 900 metres above sana looming in the background, surely one was punishable by death. than 50 kilometres from the city of Loja. sea level, this is the world’s highest active one of the most impressive. It holds a mul- Above The Tandayapa Valley is The birds are not only varied, they are volcano, one of eight in Ecuador. As we titude of Andean specials, including the one of the best spots in the world amongst the world’s most spectacular. It gain ed altitude, the vegetation metamor- awe-inspiring Andean Condor; weighing to see the White-faced Nunbird. is a circus carnival loaded with multi- phosed through various types of forest and 13 kilograms, this is one of the largest fly- coloured toucans, tanagers, tapaculos, scrub until eventually we reached the high- ing birds in the world. Cinclodes and R Left In the cloud forests of the trogons and tropicbirds. altitude paramo, a heath-like vegetation. Sierra Finches are common, as is the OOPE Andes, trees are typically laden As the plane drops through the clouds This is probably Ecuador’s most species- world’s largest hummer, the Giant Hum- C Y with bromeliads and other above Quito, Ecuador’s capital, the impos- depauperate habitat, and a good place to mingbird. The polylepis woodland, which RRA MU epiphytes. ing Andes reach up to welcome you. Iain get to grips with some of the unique bird resembles South African ‘ou hout’, is APRIL/MAY 2001 BIRDING ECUADOR 61 MURRAY COOPER (4) home to the nuthatch-like Giant Conebill. Above The Andes streams and backwaters hold some We decided to head into the forests of great birding treats, such as the superb Fasciated COLOMBIA PACIFIC O the west Andean slope, and in particular to Tiger Heron. OCEAN the Choco region around Mindo and into C the awesome Tandayapa Valley near the Above left Nature’s diminutive helicopters, humming- TANDAYapa birds such as these Buff-tailed Coronets have to E Q U A T O R LODGE Columbian border. It was here that my O be seen to be believed. Santa Mindo ▲Vol Pichincha life-list accelerated... The forest can be Domingo QUITO Papallacta Coca dead quiet one minute, and the next you H Napo Left The delightful Toucan Barbet, a Choco endemic, ▲Vol Antisana are reeling in the adrenaline of a mixed- RIO PALENQUE ▲Vol Cotapaxi is not uncommon around Tandayapa Lodge. C SACHA species party of tanagers with a disco- S LODGE Yas theque of green heads, purple bodies, Isla de uni Opposite Continuous stretches of Choco forest are now la Plata opal vents, turquoise rumps, crimson legs rare, but some do still exist in the Tandayapa Valley. Puerto Lopez E and tangerine flanks. Utterly convinced MACHALILLA ECUADOR that you can identify what you have just After a frustrating few minutes, one forest gloom to sun themselves on a ers. Seething waters spill down the moun- NATIONAL PARK seen, the flock post-mortem begins. The eventually hop ped into a clearing, and bare branch in full view. Then a light tain valleys and are habitat for the aptly CERRO D only problem is that these colours are then another; there it was, the amorous, clockwork flutter revealed a small party of named Torrent Duck; this small, shy crea- BLANCO NATIONAL Guayaquil found on every bird in the tanager page glamorous Andean Cock of the Rock in all Pale-mandibl ed Aracari (mini-toucans) ture has an amazing ability to swim PARK of your fieldguide, only in different com- its glory. The males gather at leks in groups wolfing down fruit in a nearby tree. Their against the current. COLOMBIA N binations. The names of some of the of up to 12 and display communally about surreal colours and unfeasibly small wings Where the streams pan out to form ECUADOR more common tanagers we saw, like two metres away from each other, fanning that seem to flutter faster than the speed of backwaters, the secretive and much sought- PERU BRAZIL Golden, Flame-faced and Glistening their tails and giving profile views of their sound make them look more like cheap after Sunbittern dwells. Its habitat is not A Green tanagers, exemplify the dazzling crests; the excitement is raised to a verita- wind-up toys than real birds. unlike that of the African Finfoot, and it SOUT H hues apparent in this group. ble frenzy at the approach of a female. To top it all off, there were the hum- certainly looks like a finfoot, but with the PACIFIC AMERICA head of a lizard and a butterfly’s wings. OCEAN Dipping becomes a matter of fact, but Rewhistling a low, hooting call heard mingbird feeders on the canopy tower at eventually you realise that there is no deep in the forest interior brought a wel- the Tandayapa Lodge; we had 14 hummer The Sunbittern has one of the most unfor- Loja need to panic, you are still seeing more come reward – the instant appearance of species within three minutes, including gettable predator-avoidance displays in the ARGENTINA ATLANTIC than 30 lifers each morning, and some of an exquisite Chestnut-crowned Antpitta good views of the Collared Inca and Choco avian world. Leaping forward, it extends OCEAN them do show themselves very well. Short, at point-blank range, to investigate the specials such as the Violet-tailed Sylph. its wings and cranes them forward, pre- pig-like squeals alerted us to what looked intruder. Being some of the steepest and wettest senting concentric circles of orange, red PERU like wing ed, Day-Glo orange rugby balls Three Golden-headed Quetzals, a metre- mountains in the world, the Andes are and black which look like giant ‘eyes’ in moving around in the distant sub-canopy. long trogon species, emerged from the endowed with a series of incredible riv- the undergrowth, and startles predators 62 BIRDING ECUADOR AFRICA – BIRDS & BIRDING APRIL/MAY 2001 BIRDING ECUADOR 63 in the same manner as a butterfly. Satiated with the splendour of the Andes, and needing to dry out, we made our way to the Pacific coast, which com prises most- ly arid scrub and deciduous tropical thorn- forest of Tumbesia, strongly resembling African savanna and woodland. Tumbesia occurs in both northern Peru and southern Ecuador, and is a unique stretch of coast holding many endemic species. Visiting both Cerro Blanco and Machalilla national parks meant we could bird in both the for- est and coastal scrub, maximising our list. High lights included the tailless Super- ciliated Wren, Croaking Ground Dove, Plumbeous-backed Thrush, Grey-and-Gold Warbler and a large boisterous group of the striking White-tailed Jay.
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