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Bird watching in Ecuador

Ecuador is one of the world’s top birding destinations - not only for the sheer variety of its birds, but also for the wonderful places where they can be seen.

If you enjoy your birds and you have not yet been to Ecuador, it’s high time you gave us a call!

Ecuador is one of the premier bird watching destinations in the world, not only for the sheer number and variety of its birds, but for the wonderful places where they can be seen and enjoyed with only a modest amount of time spent travelling.

Ecuador has the highest biodiversity of any country on Earth and is one of the richest in avifauna (15% of the world’s bird species in less than 0.2% of the planet’s surface). About 1,600 species have been recorded for the mainland and a further 38 are endemic to the Galapagos Islands. A high proportion (84%) are permanent residents rather than migratory. Remarkably, in the last 10 years nearly 200 species have been added to Ecuador’s list.

Bird watching holidays in Ecuador

Ecuador has come of age as a bird watching destination. An authoritative field guide is available. There are first rate birding guides based permanently in the country. There is a good selection of birder-oriented hotels and guest houses. Travelling around has become much easier.

Our travel specialists at Geodyssey have arranged tailor-made bird watching holidays to Ecuador for many years. The range of bird watching trips we can offer is very extensive, covering not just all the key sites on the mainland but also those of interest to the specialist.

All the suggested itineraries presented here can be adapted. We design and support tailor-made bird watching trips to suit a wide range of interests, styles, budgets and timeframes. There are three principal options to consider when planning your trip on the mainland:

• you can be accompanied by a specialist bird watching guide who is also your driver. This is by far the easiest option and generally produces the most birds.
• you can be accompanied by an English-speaking local driver who is familiar with the key sites, so that you use lodge guides where available or identify your own birds. This is more challenging, but also very rewarding if your preparation has been thorough.
• for the intrepid, self-drive is a possibility, but not very economical and locating the sites can be tricky.

Ideas for bird watching holidays in Ecuador

Classic bird watching itineraries, honed by experience.

Special birdwatching areas

Specialist bird watching modules

Slightly longer, slightly more demanding trips that really cover the ground.

Geodyssey's bird watching credentials

Geodyssey specialises in independent and tailor-made bird watching holidays in the neotropics.

We have run successful bird watching trips for many years to Ecuador and to Venezuela, Costa Rica, Brazil, Cuba, Panama, Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana.

We have been members of the Neotropical Bird Club since its first year and we have exhibited at the British Bird Fair every year since 1995.

We are trusted by several of the UK's leading neotropical expert bird watching guides to organise the logistics of their private trips.

 

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Order your copy of our in-depth Ecuador travel brochure, packed with inspiration and information on holidays in Ecuador.

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Choose from

Classic bird watching itineraries on mainland Ecuador:

›  Birds of Northern Ecuador (tailor-made)

›  Birds of Southern Ecuador

Special bird watching areas:

›  Amazon bird watching

›  Galapagos bird watching

Specialist bird watching modules

›  Birds of the North West Andes

›  Birds of the North East Andes

›  Birds of the Pacific coast

Ecuador's bird areas

Ecuador can be divided into four birding areas:

Andes

The Andes chain is a major contributor to Ecuador’s biodiversity. Species change on the descent through many life-zones: from snow-covered mountain peaks, high páramos and valleys, down through many gradations of temperate and subtropical forest habitats.

Amazon

Ecuador’s eastern lowlands include a portion of the great forests of the Amazon basin, with their fabulously intense speciation.

Pacific

The cold Humboldt current influences the southern coast’s Tumbesian bioregion of desert, arid scrub, thorn-forest, tropical dry forest, deciduous and semi-evergreen ceiba forests, through to lower montane cloud forest. The northern coast receives less of this influence and is characterised by wet forest. This is the Chocó bioregion. Both are regions of exceptional endemism.

Galapagos Islands

An astonishing bird world of its own with a high proportion of land bird endemics.

There is much diversity of habitat and micro habitat within each mainland region, sometimes creating ‘islands’ or centres of endemism that hold a tremendously high and unique speciation of birds.

Stepping in Darwin's footsteps to experience the same birds that inspired the Origin of Species adds an extra meaning to birdwatching on the Galapagos.

Bird watching with Geodyssey in Ecuador

The range of bird watching opportunities we can offer in Ecuador is very extensive, covering all the main sites and those of interest to the specialist. Because our expertise is in travel and logistics in Ecuador, backed by a good understanding what birdwatchers need and of current conditions for birders ‘on the ground’, we are able to design and support tailor-made birdwatching trips to suit a wide range of interests, styles and budgets.

The mainland tailor-made bird watching holidays outlined here are based on itineraries prepared under the close supervision of Paul Greenfield, co-author of The Birds of Ecuador. A noted naturalist as well as an expert ornithologist, Mr Greenfield, who lives in Ecuador, is available on special request to lead tailor-made birdwatching tours for Geodyssey clients.