Bird enthusiasts [
nicknamed "twitchers"] consider Ecuador, from its wild
paramo and mountain forests to coastal plains and dense
Amazonian jungles, to be the hottest spot for birding in South America. Some 1,600 bird species have been recorded in Ecuador, about 18 percent of the world's total and twice the number found in Canada and the United States combined. And new bird species are still being discovered.
Such is the country's wealth of bird life, you don't have to be a dedicated birder to catch the twitching bug. The sight of trees full of vivid
macaws and parrots in the Oriente, a
cock-of-the-rock near the
Cascada de San Rafael, or the comical
boobies and swooping
frigate birds of the
Galapagos are enough to turn most people into bird enthusiasts overnight.
Birders arriving in Ecuador usually start with some of the lesser-used westerly roads down the slopes of the
Andes from
Quito to the
coast. Close to
Santo Domingo de los Colorados [
on the road to Pedernales on the coast], the 40-year-old Tinalandia hotel has long been a favourite with birders, while the old Nono road towards
Mindo [
northwest of the capital] becomes the Yes-Yes road when birders encounter a flock of a dozen or more species. The small town of
Mindo is a Mecca for cognoscenti birdwatchers, and a number of comfortable lodges have sprung up to cater for them In the dense surrounding cloud forest some 400 species have been observed, including such trophies as the fabulous scarlet-crested, black-bottomed Andean
cock-of-the-rock, along with golden headed and crested
quetzals, the plate-billed mountain
toucan, grass-green
tanagers and
velvet-purple coronets. In the rich subtropical forest there are also
howler monkeys, many brilliant butterflies and hundreds of species of
orchids.
Another excellent area to spot the
cock-of-the-rock is in the vicinity of the
Cascada de San Rafael — also known as the
Coca Falls - on the road from
Quito east to
Lago Agrio, close to the town of
Baeza. Reports speak of dozens of these birds coming together and making a raucous racket to attract females. The male with the loudest call and brightest colours generally wins the lady.
From
Baeza, all roads lead to the
Oriente, Ecuador's
Amazon region. Here, the jungle lodges outdo each other with bird-species counts - some are as high as 550. Walks in jungle are often rewarded with flocks of nose-heavy
toucans, and early morning boat trips to
saladeros [
where parrots and macaws come to feed on clay to aid their digestion], provide wonderful opportunities to spot tens of species.
After the Oriente, many birders head to the
coast. Probably the most popular haunt is
Parque Nacional Machalilla, because it encompasses several micro-climates. The park includes the "poor person's Galapagos" -
Isla de Plata - home to all three types of
boobie, as well as
frigate birds and
waved albatrosses. Inland, the cloud forest up from the village of
Agua Blanca also boasts good birding. Heading south of Machalilla, there are many rich salt ponds around
Manglaralto and
Salinas, the preserve of large numbers of seabirds.
Of the other highland areas, the most frequented are the
Paramo El Angel, close to
Tulcan; the
Pasochoa Reserve, about 40 minutes' drive southeast of
Quito, and the
El Cajas and
Podocarpus national parks in the southern Sierra, home to many stunning hummingbirds.
