Birdwatching is a popular Ecuador farmstay activity.  Ecuador is a birdwatching paradise for both amateurs and expert ornithologists.  With around 1600 bird species in such a small country, Ecuador can claim to have the highest diversity of birds on the planet.  

The Chocó Bioregion, where we are situated, is a biodiversity "hot spot" - that is to say, of extreme ecological importance, but threatened by habitat destruction.  Less than 10% of the original Chocó forests in Ecuador are still standing but there is still a fragment nearby which you can visit.  The forests here on the western side of the Andes have developed quite differently from the Amazonion rainforests in the east, or Oriente, and you will find many endemic species and a quite different ecosystem. 

Local bird species that are frequently seen and that we (none of us expert birdwatchers) have been able to identify (we think) are: lemon-rumped tanagers, motmots, anis, scarlet-rumped caciques, pacific pygmy owls, Andean emeralds, weaver birds, swallow-tailed kites, roadside hawks, Baron´s hermit hummingbirds, pale-mandibled araçaris, black-cheeked woodpeckers, rufous-tailed hummingbirds, black vultures, Chocó toucans, cattle egrets, masked water-tyrants, golden olive woodpeckers, yellow-tailed orioles and the ubiquitous pacific hornero.  We may have incorrectly identified some of these birds, there are lots more we don´t know the names of, and we haven´t even really started looking.  There are plenty of opportunities for enthusiastic birdwatchers to add to the list.

Our local guides do not claim to be expert ornithologists, but are interested, patient and willing to learn.  This is not a well-developed bird-watching destination such as Mindo, where you set off with a ticklist of bird species and an expert guide, but rather a voyage of discovery where you are writing the list as you identify the birds.  We are well off the beaten track and who knows, you might even make birdwatching history and discover a previously unknown bird species or a new variant in this little-visited corner of one of the most biodiverse regions in the world.  

The Birds of Ecuador, Field Guide, by Robert S. Ridgely and Paul J. Greenfield, is considered the "birdwatchers' bible" for Ecuador.  We suggest that a copy will greatly enhance your birdwatching enjoyment and help you to identify the many bird species you are likely to see.  Good binoculars are another essential for bird-watchers.  A reasonable camera with a zoom lens is vital for the many birdwatchers who like to take on the challenge of photographing birds.  Many thanks to Paul Bamford for his bird photographs and good-humoured help with bird identification.

Most birdwatchers also appreciate the wide variety of other wildlife in the area.  There is always the opportunity to take time for admiring or photographing orchids, frogs, butterflies or any of the thousands of species of the region, as well as birdwatching.  It is completely up to you whether your tour is totally focused on birds or extends to include other interests as well.

For photographs of Ecuador´s birds and more images and information about the hummingbirds of Ecuador, see the Photo Galleries Ecuador Hummingbirds, Hummingbirds of Ecuador and Ecuador Birds.

 
Birdwatching Tours with Eco-Friendly Farmstays Ecuador:
Birds, bird-watching, hummingbirds, toucans, motmots, bird photography, endemic bird species, biodiversity, forests and more.  Ornithology opportunities in the Chocó Bioregion in rural Ecuador for amateur birdwatchers, bird photographers & ornithologists.