Copyright: monacoeye • Bellavista Lodge, Ecuador, February 2011

Bird name: Glossy Black Thrush
Latin: Turdus serranus
Other: Zorzal negro (Es)
Family: Turdidae • Thrushes
Range: Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
Similar: Great Thrush

The Glossy-black Thrush is found at mid-altitude in Ecuador, so generally lower than the larger and duller Great Thrush but there is some overlap.

The male Glossy-black Thrush is deep black with yellow or orange bill, eyering and legs. The female is browner but still with yellow eyering.More photos...

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

Bird name: White Winged Brush Finch
Latin: Atlapetes leucopterus
Other: Matorralero aliblanco (Es)
Family: Emberizidae • Brush Finches
Range: Ecuador, Peru
Similar: Pale-naped Brush Finch, Tricolored Brush Finch

I saw the White-winged Brush Finch on a couple of occasions, both in the same general region northwest of Quito, once on the Ecoruta and once at Angel Paz’s reserve. Both times there was a Crimson-mantled Woodpecker nearby. Ridgely places White-winged Brush Finch at between 1600 and 2600m on the western slope in Ecuador.

The White-winged Brush Finch has whitish underparts, grey upperparts with prominent white wing bar, dark head, rufous head stripe and dark malar stripe, though there are various subspecies, some much whiter, especially in the south.

Below, White-winged Brush Finch, Ecoruta, March, 2011.
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Copyright: monacoeye • All rights reserved • Ecuador, March 2011

Bird name: Plushcap
Latin: Catamblyrhynchus diadema
Other: Cabecipeludo (Es)
Family: Thraupidae • Tanagers
Range: Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Similar:

A couple of record shots of a Plushcap I saw on the Ecoruta northwest of Quito.

The Plushcap is an unusual bird, at one taxonomical extreme of the Thraupidae family. It lives at high altitude, between 1600 and 3500m, has stiff crown feathers and usually lives near Chusquea bamboo.More photos...

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

Bird name: Grass Green Tanager
Latin: Chlorornis riefferii
Other: Clorornis patirrojo, tángara hierba verde, tángara verdirroja, tángara carirroja (Es)
Family: Thraupidae • Tanagers
Range: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia
Similar:

Incredibly intense green on the Grass Green Tanager. Contrasted with red face, bill, legs and crissum - a stunning colour scheme. I saw these in cloud forest near Bellavista and San Isidro in Ecuador. These large tanagers live at high altitudes in the Andes - 1500 to 3300m. I saw birds in the middle of that range.

Copyright: monacoeye • All rights reserved • Ecuador, March

Bird name: Blue Winged Mountain Tanager
Latin: Anisognathus somptuosus
Other: Tángara primavera, cachaquito primavera, tangara montana aliazul (Es)
Family: Thraupidae • Tanagers
Range: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia
Similar: Black-chinned Mountain-tanager

Blue-winged Mountain Tanagers could be seen at various places near Mindo, as well at San Isidro Lodge.

Blue-winged Mountain Tanagers have more blue on wings than Black-chinned Mountain-tanagers and have black backs, vs olive shoulders for the latter. They have a large yellow stripe on their head.

Below, Blue-winged Mountain-tanager, Mindo.
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Copyright: monacoeye • All rights reserved • Serra dos Tucanos Lodge, September

Bird name: Hooded Mountain Tanager
Latin: Buthraupis montana
Other: Tangara montaña encapuchada (Es)
Family: Thraupidae • Tanagers
Range: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia
Similar:

I saw this Hooded Mountain-tanager near the Bellavista Lodge grounds in Ecuador. Found at quite high altitudes - 2000 to 3200 m. Also seen at San Isidro Lodge on the eastern slope of the Andes.

The Hooded Mountain-tanager has red irises and a black head. A large tanager.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 • Ecuador • March 2011 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Blackburnian Warbler
Latin: Dendroica fusca
Other: Reinita de garganta naranja (Es)
Family: Parulidae • New World Warblers
Range: Canada, East USA - migrating to Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia
Similar:

A bright flash of orange at the Santa Lucia Reserve in Ecuador, in March, is sure to be a Blackburnian Warbler. These cheerful small birds were also particularly easy to see around San Isidro Lodge.

The adult male Blackburnian Warbler (above) has strong orange, black and white markings. Females and juveniles and non-breeding plumages (below) are greyer and have less orange.

Directly below probably female or juvenile Blackburnian Warbler. Ecuador, March. ©
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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 • 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”.


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

Bird name: Plate Billed Mountain Toucan
Latin: Andigena laminirostris
Other: Tucán Andino Piquilaminado (Es)
Family: Ramphastidae • Toucans
Range: Southwest Colombia to south Ecuador
Similar:

The Plate-billed Mountain Toucan is an easy bird to identify with a characteristic buff rectangular plate on its bill. A beautiful bird with many colours, seen on several occasions, though usually at some distance, at the Santa Lucia reserve, and then again near Bellavista on the Ecoruta in northwest Ecuador.

The bird pictured may well be a juvenile.

More photos...