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Bird Watching







Ecuador is a birding paradise with some of the best bird watching in the world for ornithologists or amateur birdwatchers alike.

Bird Watching in Ecuador

Bird watching in Ecuador is incredibly rewarding, even for amateur ornithologists just starting out as birders.  Ecuador has around 1600 bird species  - more than some entire continents.  Birding highlights include the cock-of-the-rock, the huge Andean condor, motmots, quetzals and over a hundred types of hummingbirds.  

Casual birders and tourists just interested in nature generally will find that at least some of the more colourful birds of Ecuador can easily be seen without booking specialised birdwatching holidays.  You can see hummingbirds in the parks of urban Quito, hummingbirds and flocks of parakeets over Mindo, vultures across most of the country, birds of prey such as the condor in the high páramo, and of course the Galápagos Islands have various endemic species.  

Ornithologists and keen bird watchers will probably want to join an organised bird watching vacation with an experienced guide for at least part of their time in Ecuador, especially those planning on doing some bird photography.  To see some of the rarer, shyer and more endangered birds of Ecuador an ornithologist guide with good knowledge of the local area is usually necessary.  On a well-planned Ecuador birdwatching tour with a professional guide it is not unusual to spot hundreds of different bird species over the course of a week or two. 

Where is best to go birdwatching in Ecuador? 

Mindo is one of the world's birding hotspots and is on the must-do list for most birdwatchers.  It's home to the cock-of-the-rock, it's one of the best places to watch and photograph hummingbirds and can even be done as a day trip from Quito - though most birders will want to stay much longer.  Mindo has several birding guides and most of the hotels and hostels are used to the early-morning starts so familiar to bird watchers.  (Mindo also has the advantage of offering various adventure activities for non-birding spouses or children).  Nearby Bellavista and Tandayapa are renowned among the birding community and are more specialised bird watching destinations, with their own guides to lead walks and help with bird identification around the hotels.  

The Oriente (amazon rainforest) is teeming with birdlife including toucans, quetzals, parrots and macaws.  You almost certainly need an organised tour to the oriente, both for safety reasons and to see the best of the birds of the rainforest.  The Galapagos Islands offer fantastic bird watching opportunities including the famous Galapagos finches and many of the birds will literally come and perch on the end of your camera.

Bring good bird watching binoculars with you if you have them.  Binoculars are available in large cities and some birding destinations but there is usually a limited choice and the quality is not always the best.   Likewise, camera equipment for bird photography is best brought from home to ensure that you have all the memory, lenses and other photographic equipment you need, and know how to use it.

With so many bird species to see, a good field guide is a must.  Surprisingly, bird books and identification guides are not that easy to find within Ecuador.  The Birds of Ecuador: Field Guide Vol II, by Ridgely and Greenfield, is huge, heavy, comprehensive, reliable, beautifully illustrated and generally considered to be *the* bird watching guide for mainland Ecuador.  (It may be cheaper to get the Birds of Ecuador Field Guide shipped from the United States, even if you don't live there). 

Take a look at the Hummingbirds of Ecuador Photo Gallery to inspire you to book a bird watching tour to Ecuador soon.

Useful vocabulary for bird watching in Ecuador:
Observación de aves: bird watching
Pájaro: bird (less formal than "ave")
Pájareros: birders               
Binoculares: binoculars         
Madrugada: early morning or dawn (often the best time for bird watching)
Guía: guide