Birds
There are over 1500 species of birds
found in Ecuador and birdwatchers from all over the world
come to Ecuador to see these birds. There are several species
added to the Ecuadorian list every year mostly from other
South American countries.
Many visitors are less interested in observing
a newly described species and are more interested in seeing
the birds typical of Ecuador. The Condor with its three-meter
wingspan and 10-kg weight, is one of the largest flying bird
in the world. Today there are only a few hundred pairs left
in the highlands. Condors are best recognized bytheir fiat,
gliding flight with fingered wing tips , silvery patches on
the upper wing surface and a white neck ruff and unfeathered,
pinkish head.
Other birds include the caracara, a large
member of the falcon family. It has bright orange-red facial
skin, yellowish bill and legs, white thighs and underparts
and is otherwise black.. Frequently sighted are also the Andeanlapwing,
unmistakable with its harsh and noisy call, reddish eyes,
legs and bill, and brown, white or black striped wing pattern
particularly noticeable in flight.
Most visitors find the hummingbirds delightful
to watch. There are about 110 species of humming birds in
Ecuador, such as amethyst-throated sunangel, green-tailed
goldenthroat, spangled coquette and fawn-breasted brilliant.
Hummingbirds beat their wings in a figure-eight
pattern up to 80 times per second, thus producing the hum
for which they are named. These tiny birds must feed frequently
to gain the energy needed to keep them flying. This exceptionally
rapid wingbeat enables them to hover in place when feeding
on nectar, or even to fly backwards. Species like the Andean
hill- star, living in the paramo, have evolved an amazing
strategy to survive a cold night they go into a state of torpor
like a nightly hibernation by lowering their body temperature
by about 25°C, thus lowering their metabolism drastically.
There are more than 58 species of birds in
the Galapagos Islands and most of these birds have either
lost, or not evolved, a fear of human visitors. Therefore
travelers can walk among colonies of blue-footed boobies or
magnificent frigatebirds without causing them to fly off.
Other birds include brightly colored blue-and-yellow
macaws and 44 other parrot species19 different toucans with
their incredibly large and hollow bills; the huge and very
rare harpy eagle that is capable of snatching monkeys and
sloths off branches as it flies past; and a large array of
other tropical birds such as flycatchers (167 species), tanagers
(133 species), antbirds (110 species) and cotingas (43 species)
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