492 Amphibians in Ecuador, well yes is quite a number for a country so small, in fact it`s a 50% more than the total amphibians in the United States territory, so you can see much more of them in a visit to Ecuador.

The Ecuadorian amphibians exhibit quite peculiar ways of reproduction, such as the marsupial frogs that inhabit the Ecuadorian Andes. Other species are important because of the potential use of their skin secretions by the pharmacological industry. The Ecuadorian tricolor frog a poison-dart frog, produces  a very powerful analgesic substance.

Frogs and toads  were also important to pre-columbian cultures. which associated them with rain and therefore with the germination of life.

There are known nearly 5.000 species of amphibians in the world, and every day new species are discovered for the researchers, specially in little explored regions such as the Andean cloud forests. Ecuador has formally 492 described species  of amphibians in it´s territory.

In the Amazon rainforest is specially known by ecuadorian tribes the powerful effect of frogs poison, the natives use the poison in their arrows heads, throwed by a long pipe of hard wood, made it by hand, called "cerbatana" a blowgun, this is the  key weapon for hunt in the rainforest, it`s called "Curare" and if you do a trip to any Ecuador`s Amazon lodge managed by the community you can request to go hunting with the tribemen to chase an animal with this powerful poison, obviusly they do that as part of their way of life in the deep Amazon forest.

The Ecuadorian amphibians are wide distributed in the country going from the Amazon rainforest and coastal areas located few meters above sea level to 3,500 metres (11.480 feet) this wide distribution shows incredible diversity and ethnicity.

The best locations in Ecuador to see Amphibians are:

• Amazon Rainforest provinces specially in national parks and reserves (Yasuni, Cuyabeno, Sumaco Galeras, Cayambe Coca, Sangay, Podocarpus and others)
• Andean paramos (moorlands) specially the areas located near volcanoes and lakes in the Andean highlands, as well the low valleys and more warm areas near rivers. The Andean national parks and reserves are excellent areas to catch up with them.
• Coastal wet land and cloudforest, the concentration of sea clouds and winds in the western slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes, creates an excellent place for the growing of the local amphibians, the low wetlands and the large wet areas in the coast as well the dry forests and the mangrove forests are key parts for the amphibians ecosystem.

When to travel to see Ecuadorian amphibians

Ecuador has for it`s locations to very specific seasons, wet and dry, in general the best season starts in October and goes until May, because is the rainy season and for logic reasons the amphibians would love to have a wet environment specially for the abundant food to feed their progeny.

The dry season is a particular option to see a different kind of amphibians, that means you could see a little bit less number of amphibians but in fact they are visible and relative easily to catch up.

How to setup your amphibians safari in Ecuador

The best way to do this is searching for wildlife tour operator specially the ones who works with birdwatching, as well the Amazon and cloud forest lodges who has inside their crew excellent biologists and could help to plan your trip.

Santo Domingo – in Ecuador’s lowland forests close to Santo Domingo, more than 270 species of birds have reportedly been spotted. Some of the birds here include the Green Tanager, Golden Winged Manakin and Long-Wattled Umbrella Bird. Other species that can be spotted in proximity to Santo Domingo include the Yellow-Tailed Oriole, Ecuadorian Trogon, Orange-Billed Sparrow and a number of different hawks. Santo Domingo is three hours from Quito by bus and there are a number of good bird watching lodges here.

Loja – in the Podocarpus National Park and the Cajanuma Cloud Forest, there are diverse ecosystems. The cloud forest in particular supports some interesting bird life for avid bird watchers. There is a large variety of hummingbird species and there are many pleasant walks that can be taken to spot birds such as the Collard Inca, the Golden Plumed Parakeet, the Long-tailed Sylph, the Buff-Breasted Mountain Tanager and the Andean Potoo. Loja can be reached from Quito by plane in 45 minutes.

Amazon - bird lovers should not miss Ecuador’s Amazon region for some excellent birdwatching opportunities. In the Amazon you might see the Fiery Topaz, Harpy Eagle, Zigzag Heron, tanagers, toucans, parrots and antbirds. Some lodges have observation towers allowing for easy viewing of species. There are also Parrot Licks where travelers can watch parrots along with other species eating clay. It is best to visit a lodge, and the majority of them are based near Coca or Lago Agrio, which takes about eight hours from Quito by bus, or 30 minutes in a plane. The best travel seasons for the Ecuador Amazon are February to July and September to November.

Galapagos Islands – one of the easiest places to spot birds in the world, the Galápagos is home to Darwin’s famous finches, from which he developed his theory of evolution. Some of the most famous birds here are the blue footed, red footed and Nazca boobies. Travelers who visit Española Island between April and December, will have a chance to see the Waved Albatross. The tower on Genovesa is arguably the best bird watching spot. Lucky visitors may even snorkel among penguins diving for fish. It is best to book a cruise or land tour. The journey from Quito takes approximately two hours by plane.

Antisana / Cotopaxi – one of the best places to spot Ecuador’s mightiest bird, the condor, is the Antisana reserve. Here in the páramo, birds are easier to see because the vegetation is sparser. In these areas, it is also possible to see the Tawny Antpitta and the Andean Snipe. 90 species of bird have been observed in the Cotopaxi National Park, including Black Chested Hawk Eagle and Andean Lapwing. This area can be reached by taking a bus south of Quito, which takes about an hour.

Back to "Ecuador Birdwatching, part 1"

Birds of Ecuador, Bird Watching tours in Ecuador & Galapagos

With more than 1600 species of birds, Ecuador is one of the top four richest countries worldwide in terms of bird life, making an excellent location for bird watching. Ecuador has more bird species than the United States, Canada and Europe put together, It also has slightly less than twice as many bird species in Costa Rica (877 species.). Almost half of all the hummingbird species in the world can be found in Ecuador. In Bosque Protector Mindo Nambillo, northwest of the province of Pichincha covers an area of approximately 19 000 hectares and holds more than 450 species of birds. Ecuador is truly bird-rich.

It is possible to find more than 17 tour operators in the US, Canada, UK, Ecuador (5) and Germany focused primarily on bird watching tours to Ecuador. These companies are not resellers, they have their own operation or local partner and operate their own Ecuador & Galapagos birdwatching tour.

Ecuador only has 1.5% of the area of South America, but is home to more than 1600 bird species. These species are concentrated in an area of 270 670 km 2. Ecuador has 18% of the nearly 9700 bird species recognized in the world, and more than half of species birds of South America (circa 3300 species.).

Birdwatching in Ecuador developed slowly for 30 years and became more active in the last 20 years. The activity has experienced significant growth in recent years with the publication of the book of birds of Ecuador, The Birds of Ecuador (Ridgely and Greenfield, Cornell University Press, 2001).

Ecuador has 107 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) and many of these are very well developed and accessible. The less easy to reach spots require more effort to get to, but the rewards make it all worthwhile.

There are a great many endemic species here, especially in the Galapagos, which is the country of Darwin's finches, the most famous and important birds in the science of evolution The Amazon is a birding hotspot, the indigenous in the Ecuadorian Amazon make excellent birding guides due to their innate skills for spotting and identifying birds all around the country. Ecuador’s Amazon Rainforest is a “hot spot” because it is home to more than 600 species of bird. It is best to hire a local bird guide who can help track down the more unusual species. Local tour operators who are focused on birdwatching tours in Ecuador have world class guides with a depth of knowledge. Do not forget to take a pair of binoculars, your camera, a raincoat and sunscreen.

Some of the most important birding locations are:

Mindo – located in Ecuador’s cloud forest region, the town of Mindo was designated an Important Bird Area in 1997. With an array of lodges to choose from, the forest supports 350 species of birds with 50 of these that are endemic. One of the favorite activities for birders here is to head out early in the morning with a guide, to try to spot the shy Cock of the Rock. Other birds here include the Golden-Headed Quetzal, the Choco Toucan and the Club-Winged Manakin. Mindo is two hours northwest of Quito by bus.

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