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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).
There are climbs of all varying degrees of difficulty...
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.
