Copyright: monacoeye • All rights reserved • Ecuador, March 2011

Bird name: Pale Naped Brush Finch
Latin: Atlapetes pallidinucha
Other: Matorralero Nuquipálido (Es)
Family: Emberizidae • Brush Finches
Range: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
Similar:

Pale-naped Brush Finch at Guango Lodge. It’s a high altitude Brush-finch, with yellow-orange above bill fading into white streak as pictured.

Below, Pale-naped Brush Finch, Ecuador, March.
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Copyright: monacoeye • All rights reserved • Guango Lodge, Ecuador, March 2011

Bird name: Slaty Brush Finch
Latin: Atlapetes schistaceus
Other: Matorralero pizarroso (Es)
Family: Emberizidae • Brush Finches
Range: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
Similar: Bay-crowned Brush Finch

Ridgely says the Slaty Brush Finch is the only Brush Finch with whitish-grey underparts on the eastern slope, so these birds must be Slaty Brush Finch then. They occur at high altitude, between 2500 and 3400 m - I saw them at 2800 at Guango Lodge on the eastern slope in Ecuador.

The White-winged Brush Finch has whitish-grey underparts, a white wing bar, dark head, rufous head stripe, dark malar stripe, and light patch above the bill.More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • All rights reserved • Guango Lodge, Ecuador, 2011

Bird name: Grey Hooded Bush Tanager
Latin: Cnemoscopus rubrirostris
Other: Montero piquirrojo (Es)
Family: Thraupidae • Tanagers
Range: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia
Similar:

Just a record shot of a Grey-hooded Bush-Tanager in Ecuador. One of only two Bush-tanagers still in the Thraupidae family.

Copyright: monacoeye • All rights reserved • Guango Lodge, Ecuador, March 2011.

Bird name: Capped Conebill
Latin: Conirostrum albifrons
Other: Picocono coronado (Es)
Family: Thraupidae • Tanagers, Conebills
Range: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia
Similar: Flowerpiercers, Bush-tanagers

The Capped Conebill is a small bird. Males are all blue, mostly dark blue, with bright blue highlights on the cap, shoulder etc. Females olive and blue-grey. Easily overlooked. In Ecuador found at 2000 - 2800m - seen here at Guango Lodge, 2700m.More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • All rights reserved • Guango Lodge, Ecuador, March 2011.

Bird name: Blue Backed Conebill
Latin: Conirostrum sitticolor
Other: Picocono dorsiazul (Es)
Family: Thraupidae • Tanagers, Conebills
Range: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia
Similar:

The Blue-backed Conebill is a small, attractive bird - I was frustrated not to get better shots. It’s a high altitude conebill, living above 2500m - these were seen near Guango Lodge, at 2800 m on the eastern slope in Ecuador.More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • All rights reserved • Guango Lodge, Ecuador, March 2011

Bird name: Blue and Black Tanager
Latin: Tangara vassorii
Other: Tangara azulinegra (Es)
Family: Thraupidae • Tanagers
Range: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia
Similar: Masked Flowerpiercer

The Blue-and-black Tanager is found at quite high altitudes, generally above 2000m. I saw these birds at Guango Lodge on the eastern slope of the Andes in Ecuador at about 2700m.

No other tanager like it in Ecuador, but similar colours to the Masked Flowerpiercer, which has a very different bill.More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Guango Lodge, Ecuador, February • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Chestnut Breasted Coronet
Latin: Boissonneaua matthewsii
Other: Esmeralda andina, Diamante de pico largo, coronita pechicastaña (Es)
Family: Trochilidae • Hummingbirds
Range: Andes; Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
Similar:

The beautiful Chestnut Breasted Coronet, seen at Guango Lodge - a good place to see it.

The Chestnut Breasted Coronet lives at quite high altitudes - I didn’t see it below 2000m - but not as high as Yanacocha.

More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Mindo, Ecuador, February • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Buff Tailed Coronet
Latin: Boissonneaua flavescens
Other: Colibrí colihabano, chupasavia, coronita colianteada (Es)
Family: Trochilidae • Hummingbirds
Range: Andes; Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela
Similar:

Buff Tailed Coronet is buff under the tail, has white puffy thighs, otherwise mostly green. Also some buff on shoulders and white post-ocular spot.

850m to 2000m altitude; usually above 1400m. Seen at Paz de las Aves, Bellavista Lodge and Guango Lodge.More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • San Isidro Lodge, Ecuador, February • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Long Tailed Sylph
Latin: Aglaiocercus kingii
Other: Silfo de King, Silfo colilargo, Colibrí coludo azul, Cometa verdiazul (Es)
Family: Trochilidae • Hummingbirds
Range: Andes; Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia
Similar: Violet Tailed Sylph


Long-tailed Sylphs at in Ecuador. Only males have the very long tails. Females have chestnut bellies and short tails. Seen at Guango and San Isidro Lodges - the latter is a good place to see them. 1600m - 2600m.

Not much overlap with Violet-tailed Sylph (only on west slope) fortunately.More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Ecuador • April 2011 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: White Bellied Woodstar
Latin: Chaetocercus mulsant
Other: Colibrí de Mulsant
Family: Trochilidae • Hummingbirds
Range: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile
Similar:

These White-Bellied Woodstars were seen at Guango Lodge, 2800m altitude on the eastern Andean slope in Ecuador.

The male, above, is green and white with purple throat, and female, below, more buffy.

Further below, a shot from Dirk shows the purple throat of the male clearly.

Directly below, a female White-Bellied Woodstar at Guango Lodge, Ecuador, April.
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Copyright: monacoeye • Pantanal, August 2011 • Do not copy without permission,

Bird name: White Capped Dipper
Latin: Cinclus leucocephalus
Other: Mirlo acuático de coronilla blanca (Es)
Family: Cinclidae • Dippers
Range: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia
Similar:

Guango Lodge in Ecuador was a good place to see the White-Capped Dipper in April. We saw one diving in and out of the water, and making its way up the fast moving river that runs along the bottom end of the property, and another pair of White-Capped Dippers right underneath the waterfall at the upper section of the property.

The White-Capped Dipper is always found by water, in the Andean highlands, often in pairs. It has no problem walking on wet boulders.More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Ecuador • April 2011 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Mountain Wren
Latin: Troglodytes solstitialis
Other: Soterrey montañés (Es)
Family: Troglodytidae • Wrens
Range: W Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, N Argentina
Similar: House Wren

There was a Mountain Wren coming in to feed on insects at Guango Lodge, near Papallacta on the eastern slope of the Andes. Relatively common in Andean montane forest but fast moving.

The Mountain Wren is more richly coloured than the House Wren.More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Guango Lodge, Ecuador, Feb 2011 • Do not copy

Bird name: Green and Black Fruiteater
Latin: Pipreola riefferii
Other: Frutero verdinegro (Es)
Family: Cotingidae • Cotingas, Fruiteaters
Range: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
Similar: Black-chested Fruiteater

We saw and heard male and female Green-and-black Fruiteaters several times, but although responsive to calls, they proved difficult to photograph, often perching directly above our heads!

The male has a dark hood and bib, bright orange bill and legs, yellow-green underside with marks, and dark leaf-green upperside, with some black.

The female (further below) is plainer and more uniform green, with no black hood, but still orange bill.

Directly below, a male Green-and-black Fruiteater, which was calling to a nearby female.
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Copyright: monacoeye • Ecuador • March 2011 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Black Crested Warbler
Latin: Basileuterus nigrocristatus
Other: Reinita crestinegra (Es)
Family: Parulidae • New World Warblers
Range: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
Similar:

This Black-crested Warbler was seen at Guango Lodge, but again, hard to photograph.

Copyright: monacoeye • Yanacocha, Ecuador • Feb 2011 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Masked Flowerpiercer
Latin: Diglossa cyanea
Other: Pinchaflor enmascarado (Es)
Family: Thraupidae • Tanagers, Flowerpiercers
Range: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia
Similar: Bluish Flowerpiercer, Indigo Flowerpiercer

Beautiful rich colours on these fast-moving Masked Flowerpiercers. Large black mask and red eye with blue body. Females duller. Seen in several locations, will visit nectar feeders. The best location, where there were large numbers feeding, was at the end of the Yanacocha trail - 3800 m.

If you don’t get a good view, can be confused with Bluish Flowerpiercer.More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Guango Lodge • March 2011 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Spectacled Whitestart
Latin: Myioborus melanocephalus
Other: Candelita de anteojos (Es)
Family: Parulidae • New World Warblers, Whitestarts
Range: S Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, N. Bolivia
Similar:

The Spectacled Whitestart replaces the Slate-throated Whitestart at higher elevations. These were seen at Guango Lodge.

Distinctive marks include rufous crest and yellow “spectacles” around eye. Underparts are yellow and upperparts slate grey. Longish tail feathers, white below.

At times the rufous crest can be obscured, sometimes yellow unibrow stretches across both eyes, sometimes black above bill.

Spectacled Whitestart at Guango Lodge, Ecuador. March. © monacoeye
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Copyright: monacoeye • Ecuador • March 2011 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Russet Crowned Warbler
Latin: Basileuterus coronatus
Other: Reinita coronirrojiza (Es)
Family: Parulidae • New World Warblers
Range: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia
Similar:

The Russet-Crowned Warbler was seen at Guango Lodge and San Isidro Lodge in Ecuador in March.

These are Basileuterus coronatus orientalis, which have light-grey (not yellow) underparts, found on the eastern slope of the Ecuadorian Andes. Main distinguishing mark is the russet stripe on crown.More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy without permission • Guango, Ecuador, Feb 2011

Bird name: Turquoise Jay
Latin: Cyanocorax turcosa
Other: Urraca Turquesa (Es)
Family: Corvidae • Crows, Jays
Range: Southern Colombia, Ecuador, northern Peru
Similar: Black-collared Jay, Beautiful Jay

Turquoise Jays are the most visible large bird around Guango Lodge in Ecuador. They come close to the lodge in the morning and feast on the insects attracted by the night lights.

They have an electric blue plumage under flash, and are bright cobalt blue in normal light, with black eyemask and thin chinstrap - unlike the rarer Black-collared Jay which has a thick chin strap.

They live at altitude - 2 to 3 thousand metres - so higher than Inca Jays, though their ranges overlap a little at Guango.

One also seen in Bellavista.

Below, a Turquoise Jay at Guango Lodge in Ecuador. Copyright: monacoeye.comMore photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy without permission • San Isidro, Ecuador, Feb 2011

Bird name: Inca Jay
Latin: Cyanocorax yncas
Other: Urraca Inca (Es)
Family: Corvidae • Crows, Jays
Range: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia
Similar: Green Jay

A stunning Inca Jay at the San Isidro Lodge in Ecuador, where they were much in evidence, especially in the morning, feeding on the insects attracted by the lights at night.

Inca Jays have recently been split from the Green Jay - their northern counterpart.

In addition to their beautiful plumage, Inca Jays have a wonderful repertoire of different noises and calls. They tend to move around in groups.

In Ecuador they’re found in the highlands of the east slope of the Andes and are unmistakable.

Below, an Inca Jay at San Isidro Lodge in Ecuador.
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Copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy without permission • Ecuador, 2011.

Bird name: Masked Trogon
Latin: Trogon personatus
Other:
Family: Trogonidae • Trogons
Range: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, SC Venezuela
Similar:

Masked Trogons were seen in many locations in Ecuador - Mindo, Milpe, Mindo Lindo, Bellavista, Guango, San Isidro.

Males are green, black and red with white marks. Females are brown and red. Many more examples in “more photos”.


More photos...