Copyright: monacoeye • Papallacta, Ecuador, February 2011

Bird name: Great Thrush
Latin: Turdus fuscater
Other: Paraulata morera, Mirla patinaranja (Es)
Family: Turdidae • Thrushes
Range: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia.
Similar: Glossy-black Thrush

The Great Thrush is a large bird and very large for a thrush. They are quite common and visible in the highlands of Ecuador - when I visited, one or two could always be found on the grassy slopes of Papallacta, often standing on a grassy knoll.

The male Great Thrush (above) is dull grey-black with bright yellow eyering and orange legs and bill. The female Great Thrush (below) is browner and lacks the yellow eyering.

Below, female Great Thrush, Papallacta, Ecuador, February.
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Copyright: monacoeye • All rights reserved • Yanacocha, Ecuador, March 2011

Bird name: Rufous Naped Brush Finch
Latin: Atlapetes latinuchus
Other: Yellow-breasted Brush Finch (SACC) • Matorralero de pecho amarillo (Es)
Family: Emberizidae • Brush Finches
Range: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
Similar: Pale-naped Brush Finch, Choco/Tricolored Brush Finch

The Brush Finches are in a state of taxonomic flux, but for this entry I’m following IOC v2.11 Jan 2012 taxonomy, which corresponds to Ridgely & Greenfield, Birds of Ecuador, 2001, and does not include the Bolivian Brush Finch.

These photos were taken on the Yanacocha trail at 3500m, near Quito in northwestern Ecuador - a bit higher than the range suggested in Birds of Ecuador: 3200m.

I don’t think there’s much point spending too much time on the ID/name of these birds as they will doubtless change names again.

Typically though Rufous-nape Brush-finch should have a rufous nape, black mask, dark grey upperparts, yellow underparts going greyish near the legs.

Below, presumed Rufous-naped Brush Finch, Yanacocha, March.
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Copyright: monacoeye • All rights reserved • Ecuador, March 2011

Bird name: Plain Colored Seedeater
Latin: Catamenia inornata
Other: Plain-coloured Seedeater (UK) • Semillero sencillo (Es)
Family: Thraupidae • Tanagers, Seedeaters
Range: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina
Similar: Catamenia seedeaters

I saw these Plain-colored Seedeaters at around 3000 metres altitude in Ecuador.

The male (above) Plain-colored Seedeater is greyish with orange bill and rufous crissum (under base of tail). The female (below) is streaked and brownish.More photos...

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

Bird name: Golden Crowned Tanager
Latin: Iridosornis rufivertex
Other: Frutero cabecidorado (Es)
Family: Thraupidae • Tanagers
Range: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
Similar:

Intense colours in this high-altitude Golden Crowned Tanager (usually 2500-3300m), which I saw on the Yanacocha trail (3500m). Great bird - the only one of its kind I saw in Ecuador.

Below, Golden Crowned Tanager - Yanacocha, Ecuador
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Copyright: monacoeye • All rights reserved • Ecuador, March

Bird name: Scarlet Bellied Mountain Tanager
Latin: Anisognathus igniventris
Other: Tangara montana ventriescarlata (Es)
Family: Thraupidae • Tanagers
Range: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia
Similar:

The Scarlet Bellied Mountain Tanager is a very eye-catching bird - I only saw one pair at Yanacocha at 3500m, feeding on the berries below. Their range descends to 1500m.
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Copyright: monacoeye • Yanacocha, Ecuador, February • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Buff Winged Starfrontlet
Latin: Coeligena lutetiae
Other: Frentiestrella alianteada (Es)
Family: Trochilidae • Hummingbirds
Range: Andes; Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
Similar:

Buff-winged Starfrontlets are one of the easiest hummingbirds to recognise - they are the only hummingbirds in Ecuador with buff-coloured “epaulets”.

Male Buff-winged Starfrontlets have purple throats (below), distinguishing them from females, which have buff throats.

These are high-altitude hummers - I saw them on the Yanacocha trail at 3500m.
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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 • Yanacocha, Ecuador • Feb 2011 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Glossy Flowerpiercer
Latin: Diglossa lafresnayii
Other: Pinchaflor satinado (Es)
Family: Thraupidae • Tanagers, Flowerpiercers
Range: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
Similar: Black Flowerpiercer, White-sided Flowerpiercer

The Glossy Flowerpiercer is all black, with white patch on shoulder and hooked bill-tip. Only confusion in Ecuador could be White-sided Flowerpiercer, whose white patch is lower down, under the wing.

Seen in good numbers at the feeders at the end of the Yanacocha trail at 3800 m altitude.
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Copyright: monacoeye • Yanacocha, Ecuador • Mar 2011 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Sword Billed Hummingbird
Latin: Ensifera ensifera
Other: Colibri picoespada (Es)
Family: Trochilidae • Hummingbirds
Range: W Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, NE Bolivia
Similar:

There can be no mistaking the Sword-billed Hummingbird with its extraordinary 10 cm bill. Although generally a difficult bird to see it was easily viewed at the last feeders on the Yanacocha trail (3500m altitude), and was an occasional visitor to the Guango Lodge feeders when I visited.

Its bill is adapted to feed on flowers with long corollas such as the those of the passionfruit Passiflora mixta.

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

Bird name: Red Crested Cotinga
Latin: Ampelion rubrocristatus
Other:
Family: Cotingidae • Cotingas
Range: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia
Similar:

I saw these two Red-crested Cotingas on shrubs beside the road up to Yanacocha, at about 3000m altitude. They tend be found at this kind of altitude in the Andes.

The Red-crested Cotinga is easy to identify - a grey, pigeon-sized bird, with long, lank, rufous feathers at back of head, and bright red irises. The red crest is often not visible though when the bird is viewed from the front. One was eating a winged insect.


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