Colombian Birds

 

This Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus) has caught a cicada (Cicadidae).
Tayrona National Park, Colombia. 

This May, I was in Colombia on a long-planned trip with friends, Joe Poston and Andrew Jacobson.  They are professors at Catawba College and were scouting locations to take biology and environmental science students for field work and to experience the diverse bird life.  We worked with Colombian scientist Ruben Placio who planned the trip and traveled with us much of the time. Our Colombia travels started with a couple of days in the old port city of Cartagena.  This striking town on the Caribbean coast has a charming colonial center and fortifications dating from the 16th century.  New birds started appearing as we walked the streets of Cartagena. Brown-throated Parakeets (Eupsittula pertinax) were squawking in the trees along busy roads.  A corral for the horses that pulled carriages through the streets had Saffron Finches (Sicalis flaveola) and a curious flycatcher, the Cattle Tyrant (Machetornis rixosa), that spends most of its time running along the ground. 

Brown-throated Parakeet (Eupsittula pertinax).
Cartagena, Colombia.

A male Saffron Finch (Sicalis flaveola).
Cartagena, Colombia. 

Cattle Tyrant (Machetornis rixosa) hunting insects on the ground.
Cartagena, Colombia. 

We then met our guide, Angel and traveled up the coast, making numerous stops to see the birds and other natural wonders.  Joe Poston commented, the wonders went “all the way to the horizon.”  And they did.  

A Turquoise-winged Parrotlet (Forpus spengeli).  This tiny parrot
is endemic to northern Colombia. 
Magdalena Department, Colombia.

Pearl Kite (Gampsonyx swainsonii).  This small
raptor feeds mainly on lizards. 
Magdalena Department. Colombia.

Southern Lapwing (Vanellus chilensis).
This large and handsome sandpiper was feeding in an onion field.
Magdalena Department, Colombia. 

Russet-throated Puffbird (Hypnelus ruficollis).  This conspicuous
insect-eating bird is endemic to northern Colombia and Venezuela.
Magdalena Department, Colombia. 

Pied Puffbird (Notharchus tectus) is a striking,
black and white relative of the Russet-throated Puffbird.
Magdalena Department, Colombia. 

Some of the most iconic birds of the tropics are the trogons, toucans and quetzals.  These large and colorful birds would appear with a flash of color, sit for a moment and fly on.  We found Keel-billed Toucans (Ramphastos sulfuratus), two species of toucanet (Aulacorhynchus sp), and Gartered Trogons (Trogon caligatus) during our travels.

 

A male Gartered Trogon (Trogon caligatus). 
Magdalena Department, Colombia. 

Keel-billed Toucan.
Tayrona National Park, Colombia.

Southern Emerald Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus albivitta).
El Dorado Nature Reserve, Colombia.

Grove-billed Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus sulcatus) is endemic to
northern Colombia and Venezuela. 
Magdalena Department, Colombia.

One of the bird highlights of the trip was in Tayrona National Park where Angel showed us a male Blue-billed Curassow (Crax alberti).  This black, turkey-sized bird with shaggy crest and a blue bill was partially hidden in a large tree.  The Blue-billed Curassow is critically endangered and is such an iconic Colombian bird it graces the cover of the standard field guide for the country.  We also saw a large, red-crested woodpecker, the Crimson-crested Woodpecker (Campephilius melanoleucos).  This impressive creature is a relative of the now extinct Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilius principalis). 

 

Blue-billed Curassow (Crax alberti). This endangered endemic
was resting in a large tree.
Tayrona National Park, Colombia. 

Blue-billed Curassow on the cover of 
Bird of Colombia.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Joe Poston.

Crimson-crested Woodpecker (Campephilius melanoleucos).
Tayrona National Park. Colombia. 

In Tayrona National Park we also saw two species of manakins doing their mating dances.  Manakins are small, colorful birds and the males display their dancing skills in a special location called a lek.  We watched male Lance-tailed Manakins (Chiroxiphia lanceolata) jump over each to impress the females.  We also saw a White-bearded Manakin (Manacus manacus).  The males of this species have white feathers on their throat that give them their name. 

A male Lance-tailed Manakin (Chiroxiphia lanceolata) on the lek.
Tayrona National Park, Colombia. 

A male White-bearded Manakin (Manacus manacus).
Tayrona National Park, Colombia. 

Colombia boasts over 150 species of hummingbirds, the greatest hummingbird diversity in the world.   We experienced only a handful of them, but what gems they were.   As we ascended into the Sierra Madre de Santa Marta the number of hummingbirds species picked up.  Around the foothills town of Minca we saw Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds (Amazilia tzacatl), White-necked Jacobins (Florisuga mellivora) and White-vented Plumeleteers (Chalybura buffonii).  Along the road above Minca we found a tiny flycatcher, the Pale-eyed Pygmy-tyrant (Atalotriccus pilaris) catching insects as well as striking Crimson-backed Tanagers (Ramphocelus dimidiatus) and Chestnut-capped Warblers (Basileuterus delattrii).  

A Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl)
showing its rufous tail. 
Magdalena Department, Colombia. 

White-necked Jacobin (Florisuga mellivora).
Magdalena Department, Colombia. 

White-vented Plumeleteer (Chalybura buffonii).
Magdalena Department, Colombia. 

Pale-eyed Pygmy-tyrant (Atalotriccus pilaris). 
Magdalena Department, Colombia. 

The Crimson-backed Tanager (Ramphocelus dimidiatus)
is black and deep red with a shining, silver beak.
Magdalena Department, Colombia. 

This Chestnut-capped Warbler (Basileuterus delattrii)
was peeking at us from the undergrowth.
Magdalena Department, Colombia. 

As we climbed higher the forest became wetter and wilder.  Our next stop was the El Dorado Nature Reserve with spectacular views of the glacier capped Sierra Nevada and montane forests. This area has a large number of endemic birds and we saw many.  Hummingbirds were in abundance at El Dorado and birds, large and small showed themselves as Angel guided us along the mountain trails.  

Brown Violetear (Colibri delphinae).
El Dorado Nature Reserve, Colombia. 

Lesser Violetear (Colibri cyanotus).
El Dorado Nature Reserve, Colombia. 

Sparkling Violetear (Colibri coruscans) has long purple ear feathers.
El Dorado Nature Reserve, Colombia. 

Crowned Woodnymph (Thalurania colombica).
El Dorado Nature Reserve, Colombia. 

The Yellow-crowned Redstart (Myioborus flavivertex) is
endemic to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
El Dorado Nature Reserve, Colombia. 

A family emergency caused me to leave that mountain in Colombia and return to the US.  But this brief visit allowed me to see birds found no where else and to experience birds I have seen before in other parts of the neotropics in a whole new context.  The Colombian people were, without exception, kind and generous and welcomed us wherever we went.  I am looking forward to a return to Colombia.

Our group at the base of a giant rainforest tree.
Tayrona National Park, Colombia.