Birdwatching in Ecuador

:   October 26, 2015

Birdwatching in Yunguilla Valley

Yunguilla Reserve (some 2 hours from Cuenca), is home to the highly endangered pale-headed brush-finch. Almost extinct, it slowly but steadily pulled back from the brink thanks to more than 100 breeding pairs living under intensive management at the reserve.

Guarded proof of their recovery counts their increasing numbers and appearances among the reserve’s orchards. Other birds found in the reserve include the blackish tapaculo, rufous-crowned tody-tyrant, black-and-white tanager, slaty-backed nightingale-thrush, Ecuadorian thrush, and more.

Birdwatching in Isla del Amor

Isla del Amor is one of the best destinations for birdwatching in Ecuador. A dollar tour-boat ride from Cojimies, visitors can wade through the island’s mangrove swamps on a canoe and watch quietly as the Island of Love present its abundant collection of rare and beautiful birds for your viewing pleasure.

Birdwatching in Ecuador’s oldest forest

Puyango, some 70 miles south of Machala, is South America’s oldest forest and home to over 130 bird species and the famed Puyango Petrified Forest – huge tree trunks of the Araucarias family fossilized some 80 million years ago.

Birdwatching in high altitudes

The Yanacocha Reserve is the place to head to if you’re up for high-altitude birdwatching. The reserve lies along Mt. Pichincha’s western slope, and composed mostly of elfin Polylepsis forest. Many birdwatchers love this reserve because of its mostly flat and open terrain that stretches to over 2 miles of sheer bird-watching pleasure. Some of the largest and most beautiful species of hummingbirds in Ecuador are found in Yanacocha Reserve, like the great sapphire-wing, the sword-billed hummingbird, and the endangered black-breasted puffleg.

Birdwatching along the coast

Seeking out fantastic birdwatching spots along Ecuador’s Pacific shores? Then, look no further than Tinalandia, the Chindul coastal range, the Tito Santos Dry Forest Biological Reserve, Cerro Blanco, Hacienda Don Juan, Machalilla, and Rio Ayampe. Indeed, a treasure trove of rare and beautiful bird species awaits you along Ecuador’s 2,237-kilometer coastline. To visit them all, choose the 7-day tour that takes you on a truly unforgettable birdwatching adventure this side of Darwin’s Galapagos.