Hummingbirds of Ecuador

 

Sparkling Violetear (Colibri coruscans).
Tambor Condor Lodge, Ecuador. 

Diane and I recently participated in a ten-day birding trip to Ecuador with a group of 8 friends. Our tour started in the capitol city Quito, went above the tree line in the Andes to the tundra-like paramo habitat.  It then descended the eastern slope of the Andes to the cloud forest, then montane rainforest and finally into the rainforest of the Amazon Basin.  

This trip was arranged by Holbrook Travel and our guide Freddy and driver Kevin worked tirelessly to show us the unique and varied birdlife of Ecuador.  One of the most impressive groups of birds we saw was the hummingbirds.  Hummingbirds are found only in the New World, from Patagonia in southern South America to southern Alaska. They are small, fast and often brilliantly colored.  Of the approximately 360 species of hummingbirds about one third are found in Ecuador. 

The paramo of Ecuador is a tropical grassland that occurs above tree line starting at about 10,000 feet.  The bird diversity there is relatively low, but several hummingbirds thrive there. 

Tyrian Metaltail (Metallura tyrianthina).
Tambor Condor Lodge, Ecuador. 

The tiny Tyrian Metaltail (Metallura tyrianthina) ranges from rainforest, up to the lower edges of the paramo.  This hummingbird has a short bill and in addition to inserting its beak into flowers to sip nectar they can pierce the base of long flowers and rob nectar without pollinating the plant. Tyrian Metaltails get their name from the metallic iridescence on their rumps and tails. 

 

Shining Sunbeam (Algaeactis cupripennis).
Tambor Condor Lodge, Ecuador. 

Shining Sunbeam.
Tambor Condor Lodge, Ecuador. 

The Shining Sunbeam (Aglaeactis cupripennis) is another small hummingbird of the lower reaches of the paramo and upper cloud forest.  These are rather dull by hummingbird standards, light brown and dark brown.  But when a male turns his back, his rump flashes violet, green and gold. 

 

Ecuadorean Hillstar (Oreotrichilius chimborazo).
Antisana National Park, Ecuador. 

Ecuadorean Hillstar.
Antisana National Park, Ecuador. 

Ecuadorean Hillstars (Oreotrochilius chimborazo) are found only at high altitude.  The males of this paramo specialist have a brilliant purple head, green back and a pure white breast marked by a vertical black line up the center.  Ecuadorean Hillstars, like all hummingbirds have a very high rate of metabolism and must constantly feed to survive.  The cold nighttime temperatures are a significant challenge to the Hillstars,  Their adaption to make it through the night is to lower their body temperature, heartrate and respiration rate to conserve energy until the sun rises.   

 

Giant Hummingbird (Patagona gigas).
Tambor Condor Lodge, Ecuador.

Giant Hummingbird.
Tambor Condor Lodge, Ecuador. 

Giant hummingbirds (Patagona gigas) are largest of the world’s hummingbirds. They are about the size of a Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinals) and their wingbeat is so slow the wings are easily seen in flight.     

Sparkling Violetear.
El Quetzal Bosque Protegido, Ecuador.

Lesser Violetear (Colibri cyanotus).
El Quetzal Bosque Protegido, Ecuador.

Going down in elevation we left the paramo and entered the cloud forest.  The trees were festooned with bromeliads and mosses as the clouds running into the mountains left some of their abundant moisture.  Sparkling Violetears (Colibri coruscans) and Lesser Violetears (Colibri cyanotus) are common in the cloud forest.  The males of both species are metallic green and blue with violet ear patches. 

Gorgeted Woodstar (Chaetocercus heliodor).
El Quetzal Bosque Protegido, Ecuador.

Immature Gorgeted Woodstar (Chaetocercus heliodor).
El Quetzal Bosque Protegido, Ecuador.

The Gorgeted Woodstar (Chaetocercus heliodor) is a tiny hummingbird just a little bigger than a bumblebee.  They are found only in the highland forest of Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador.  Males have a brilliant violet throat, and a green back.  The immature birds are green on the back with rich brown on the breast and rump.

 

Chestnut-breasted Coronet (Boissonneaua matthewsii).
Cabanas San Isidro, Ecuador. 

Chestnut-breasted Coronets fighting. 
El Quetzal Bosque Protegido, Ecuador. 

Chestnut-breasted Coronets (Boissonneaua matthewsii) are green on the back with a rich brown breast. Males and females have similar plumage.  They are found in the cloud forests of the northern Andes.  

  

Male Peruvian Racket-tail (Ocreatus peruanus).
El Quetzal Bosque Protegido, Ecuador. 

Female Peruvian Racket-tail.
El Quetzal Bosque Protegido, Ecuador. 

The Peruvian Racket-tail (Ocreatus peruanus) is a small hummingbird of the cloud forests of Ecuador and Peru.  Females have a green back and white breast with green spots.  Males are green overall, and their tails have two long feathers equal to the length of the body.  These extended feathers have rackets on the ends giving this bird its name.  Both males and females have orange, puffy feathers on their legs.  

 

Tawny-bellied Hermit (Phaethornis syrmatophorus).
El Quetzal Bosque Protegido, Ecuador.

At lower altitudes rainforest replaces cloud forest and a different set of hummingbirds appear. Tawny-bellied Hermits (Phaethornis syrmatophorus) are brown hummingbirds with white stripes on the head, a long dramatically decurved beak and a long white tail.  They range through the montane forests of Colombia, Peru and Ecuador.  The distinctive beak and tail make the Tawny-bellied Hermit unmistakable.     

Brown Violetear (Colibri delphinae).
WildSumaco Lodge, Ecuador.
Photo courtesy of Prof. William Garcia. 

Brown Violetears (Colibri delphinae) are the plain relatives of flashier Lesser and Sparkling Violetears.  They are indeed brown but when they turn their heads their brilliant violet ear patches shine in the sun.  

Male Black-throated Mango (Anthrocothorax nigricollis).
WildSumaco Lodge, Ecuador. 
Photo Courtesy of Dr. Richard Pockat. 

Female Black-throated Mango.
WildSumaco Lodge, Ecuador.
Photo Courtesy of Dr. Richard Pockat.

The Black-throated Mango (Anthracothorax nigricollis) is a large hummingbird found in lowland forests of northern South America. Male Black-throated Mangos are green on the back with a black throat edged in blue. Females are also green on the back, but their throat and breast are white with a black vertical line running from the chin all the way down to the belly. 

 

Gould's Jewelfront (Heliodoxa aurescens).
WildSumaco Lodge, Ecuador. 
Photo Courtesy of Prof. William Garcia.

Gould’s Jewelfront (Heliodoxa aurescens) is an amazingly beautiful hummingbird.  Both sexes are brilliant green with a glowing gold-orange patch on the breast.  It is found in low elevation rainforests across northern South America.

 

Glittering-throated Emerald (Chionomesa fimbriata) on nest.
Sacha Lodge, Ecuador. 

Glittering-throated Emerald nest.
Sacha Lodge, Ecuador.

The Glittering-throated Emerald (Chionomesa fimbriata) is found on forest edges, savannas and open woodlands across the Amazon basin.  We found one nesting in a small tree on the edge of an oxbow lake just off the Rio Napo.  This small hummingbird is green with a shining blue throat.  The nest was a cup of lichens and spider silk about an inch and a half across.  

Ecuador is a small country that would easily fit within the boundaries of Texas. Despite its size, Ecuador hosts about 1600 species of birds.  The United States has about 1200 birds.  The diversity of habitats created by the Andes and the tropical lowlands yield a stunning variety of life, including the hummingbirds described here.

Male Peruvian Racket-tail.
El Quetzal Bosque Protegido, Ecuador.