Ecuador 2008 wrap-up

Five hundred species accounted for in a fortnight – a new bird every millifortnight! The tour was focused on the Chocó region of the north-west of the country, although we visited higher altitudes near Quito and to the east of the capital during a crossing over the Papallacta Pass to visit briefly the upper eastern slopes of the Andes. We recorded 26 of the 56 listed Chocó endemics known from Ecuador. Not a bad effort to get onto almost half of them! We failed to find the Chocó Vireo despite a persistent search in a known area in which it had been recently found. We saw only one of the 16 or so endemic birds of Ecuador - the Pale-mandibled Aracari.

We saw representatives of 54 of the 82 bird families recognized by Ridgely and Greenfield (2001) as occurring in Ecuador. This would not be an unexpected total considering we were particularly short on seabirds and shorebirds having little chance to add much from these groups without spending a great deal more of our time at or near the coast.

We did not fully appreciate at the time (on day 2 and again on day 5) that when we were looking at the Yellow-faced Grassquit Tiaris olivacea we were probably looking at the genealogically closest genus to the famous Darwin's Finches of the Galapagos (Grant, P.R. and B. R. Grant. 2008. How and Why Species Multiply: The Radiation of Darwin's Finches. Princeton University Press: Princeton NJ). The genus Tiaris is one of a number of possible ancestors but it is the most likely on distributional grounds and has the strongest claims according to the Grants. However, it is considered that the most likely ancestor would have been something like the Dull-coloured Grassquit Tiaris obscura rather than the actual species we saw. Interesting all the same!

Fifty-two species were only heard, not that that is any reason to exclude them because calls or song are often as good or better than observations based on plumage details for a positive identification. For the record, the species concerned were: Tawny-breasted Tinamou, Little Tinamou, Rufous-headed Tinamou, Wattle Guan, Cinnamon Woodpecker, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Barred Puffbird, Chocó Toucan, Northern Violaceous Trogon, Spectacled Owl, Pauraque, Pallid Dove, White-throated Crake, Colombian Crake, Barred Forest-Falcon, Brown-capped Tyrannulet, Green-and-black Fruiteater, Barred Fruiteater, Stub-tailed Antbird, Bicoloured Antbird, White-browed Spinetail, Streak-backed Canastero, Spotted Barbtail, Pacific Tuftedcheek, Ruddy Foliage-gleaner, Northern Barred Woodcreeper, Black-striped Woodcreeper, Black-headed Antthrush, Rufous-breasted Antthrush, Undulated Antpitta, Scaled Antpitta, Chestnut-naped Antpitta, White-bellied Antpitta, Rufous Antpitta, Narino Tapaculo, Spillmann’s Tapaculo, Ocellated Tapaculo, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Beautiful Jay, Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush, Spotted Nightingale-Thrush, Band-backed Wren, Plain-tailed Wren, Whiskered Wren, Stripe-throated Wren, White-breasted Wood-Wren, Grey-breasted Wood-Wren, Southern Nightingale-Wren, Song Wren, Black-striped Sparrow, Scarlet-rumped Cacique, Yellow-tailed Oriole.

References

Ridgely, Robert S. & Paul J. Greenfield. 2001. The Birds of Ecuador. Helm Field Guides (2 volumes). Christopher Helm: London.

Some additional background information.

The Chocó

The following description of the Chocó region of South America is taken from the Birdlife International Factsheet (BirdLife International 2003 BirdLife's online World Bird Database: the site for bird conservation. Version 2.0. Cambridge, UK: BirdLife International. Accessed 5/4/2008. Information obtained from EBA Factsheet 041 Chocó. The following references are cited in this document: Collar et al.1994; Dinerstein et al.1995; Hilty and Brown 1986; Salaman 1994 and Wege and Long 1995. Available at: http://www.birdlife.org). It has been edited slightly to reflect an Ecuadorian perspective.

Countries: Colombia, Ecuador.
Area: 100000 km2.
Altitude: lowland/montane from 0 - 3800m.

General characteristics

The Chocó has one of the world’s richest lowland biotas, with exceptional richness and endemism in a wide range of taxa, including over 60 endemic bird species. When the Andes were formed, the Chocó region (wet lowland coastal forests stretching from Ecuador through Colombia and into Panama) was cut off from the Amazon rainforests in the east, leading to a divergent evolutionary path. It is now thought that between one-fifth and a half of all the species found in this area are endemic. In the last 60 years however, over 95% of Ecuador’s Chocó forests have been destroyed; it now has the dubious honour of being the most intensively farmed area in Ecuador, covered mainly with monoculture African palm oil plantations.

This Endemic Bird Area (Birdlife International EBA 041) traverses the length of western Colombia and Ecuador, although the majority of the ranges of its restricted-range species terminate north of Guayaquil at c.2°S. The area comprises the Pacific slope of the Colombian West Andes, the Pacific slope of the Andes in Nariño department (southernmost Colombia), and south into Ecuador where it incorporates the westernmost volcanic peaks and Pacific slope of the Andes south to Cañar province. A few species occur in the Cordillera de Chilla. Some geographical overlap with the North Central Andes (EBA 042) may occur in parts of northern Ecuador, although the species endemic to that EBA all inhabit higher altitudes (primarily above 2,500 m). In the lowlands, the EBA extends throughout the Chocó from the southern end of the Serranía de Baudó (where it abuts the Darién lowlands, EBA 023), south along the Andean foothills and through the Pacific coast lowlands into northern Esmeraldas province, and from there along the base of the Andes in Pichincha, Los Ríos, and northern Guayas provinces of Ecuador.

The EBA is characterized by wet forest, and indeed, with up to 16,000 mm of rain per year in some places, this is probably the wettest place on earth. The major vegetation zones of the Pacific slope vary considerably according to local climatic and altitudinal conditions. Lowland tropical wet forest is found in the Pacific lowlands and lower foothills (0-1,000 m) in areas with high rainfall (4,000-8,000 mm/year). Super-wet (pluvial) forest occurs in a limited zone (with an excess of 8,000 mm/year rainfall) between the dominant wet lowland and foothill forests. Subtropical forest replaces the tropical forest between 1,000 and 2,300 m in a zone of lower rainfall (2,000-6,000 mm/year) but with very high humidity. From 2,000 m towards the treeline at c.3,200 m, temperate Andean humid forest persists, trees becoming increasingly stunted with altitude and eventually giving way to wet grassland or páramo, which is characterized by stands of tall composites like Espeletia and Puya, and isolated, small dense patches of Polylepis-dominated woodland in sheltered areas (Salaman 1994).

The Chocó has one of the world's richest lowland biotas, with exceptional richness and endemism in a wide range of taxa including plants, reptiles, amphibians and butterflies (Dinerstein et al.1995). In the case of plants, over 10% (8,000-9,000) of species recorded from the Neotropics have been found from the narrow band of pluvial forest that runs through the Chocó; it has been suggested that 25% of these species are endemic to the area (Salaman 1994).

Restricted-range species

The Chocó EBA supports the largest number of restricted-range birds of any EBA in the Americas, over 60 species being endemic to the area. A large number of birds are confined to the tropical lowland and lower subtropical foothill forests, with the remainder primarily found in the subtropical zone; only a few species occur in the high-altitude temperate areas. This bias is primarily due to the West Andes of Colombia having an average ridge height of c.2,000 m, with relatively few mountain peaks above this (Hilty and Brown 1986). The birds restricted to the subtropical zone and above are almost invariably found on the disjunct peaks of the Colombian West Andes (e.g. Paramillo, Páramo Frontino, Cerro Tatamá, Cerro Munchique), and further south in southern Colombia and northern Ecuador (e.g. Nevado Cumbal, Volcán Chiles, Cotacachi, Pinchincha).

With relatively little known about the precise distributions, altitudinal movements and ecological requirements of the restricted-range birds, it is not currently possible to further divide this EBA. It does, however, seem likely that the ranges of tropical foothill and lowland species are associated with the band of pluvial forest that runs through the centre of the Chocó region (Hilty and Brown 1986); also, (in Colombia) forest composition changes strikingly from lowland to montane at 1,000-1,500 m (L. G. Olarte in litt. 1993), and this may form the natural boundary between distinct groups of tropical lowland and higher Pacific slope birds.

Five species, Colombian Screech-owl Megascops colombianus, Violet-tailed Sylph Aglaiocercus coelestis, Toucan Barbet Semnornis ramphastinus, Purplish-mantled Tanager Iridosornis porphyrocephalus and Crested Ant-Tanager Habia cristata [occurs in Colombia only] - although regarded as confined to the EBA, occur locally on the eastern slope of the West Andes (in the Cauca valley), primarily near low wet passes (Hilty and Brown 1986), much as Cauca Guan Penelope perspicax [not present in Ecuador] does from the opposite direction (EBA 040). A similar situation exists with Greyish Piculet Picumnus granadensis and Apical Flycatcher Myiarchus apicalis, which occur in the dry Dagua and Calima valleys on the Pacific slope. Both of these species are primarily dry forest, woodland or scrub birds, and are thus considered endemic to the inter-Andean valleys (EBA 039), rather than being shared with the more humid forest species of the Chocó. However, neither of them occurs in Ecuador. The Black-and-gold Tanager Bangsia melanochlamys is known from a disjunct population on the northern and western slopes of the North Central Andes (EBA 042) in Antioquia department, where, however, it has been recorded from very few localities, and not since 1948 (Collar et al.1992). In northern Ecuador (e.g. in the Bilsa area), Hoary Puffleg Haplophaedia lugens and Long-wattled Umbrellabird Cephalopterus penduliger (and possibly other species) have been recorded at the same localities as species characteristic of the Tumbesian region (EBA 045), namely Grey-backed Hawk Leucopternis occidentalis, Rufous-headed Chachalaca Ortalis erythroptera and Slaty Becard Pachyramphus spodiurus (Wege and Long 1995). The extent to which these species (and thus the two EBAs) overlap is unknown.

The sixty-five Chocó Endemics (56 of them occurring in Ecuador) are listed here:
* [Chocó Tinamou Cryturellus kerriae – Colombia only]
Berlepsch's Tinamou Crypturellus berlepschi
Plumbeous Forest-Falcon Micrastur plumbeus
Baudó Guan Penelope ortoni - endangered
Dark-backed Wood-Quail Odontophorus melanonotus
Dusky Pigeon Patagioenas goodsoni
Rose-faced Parrot Gypopsitta pulchra
Banded Ground-Cuckoo Neomorphus radiolosus
Colombian Screech-Owl Megascops colombianus
Chocó Poorwill Nyctiphrynus rosenbergi
Purple-chested Hummingbird Amazilia rosenbergi
Empress Brilliant Heliodoxa imperatrix
Velvet-purple Coronet Boissonneaua jardini
Brown Inca Coeligena wilsoni
Gorgeted Sunangel Heliangelus strophianus
Turquoise-throated Puffleg Eriocnemis godini
[Colourful Puffleg Eriocnemis mirabilis - Columbia only]
Hoary Puffleg Haplophaedia lugens
Purple-bibbed Whitetip Urosticte benjamini
Violet-tailed Sylph Aglaiocercus coelestis
Chocó Trogon Trogon comptus
[Sooty-capped Puffbird Bucco noanamae - Columbia only]
Orange-fronted Barbet Capito squamatus
Five-coloured Barbet Capito quinticolor
Toucan Barbet Semnornis ramphastinus
Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan Andigena laminirostris
Chocó Toucan Ramphastos brevis
Chocó Woodpecker Veniliornis chocoensis
Lita Woodpecker Piculus litae
Fulvous-dotted Treerunner Margarornis stellatus
Uniform Treehunter Thripadectes ignobilis
Bicoloured Antvireo Dysithamnus occidentalis
Stub-tailed Antbird Myrmeciza berlepschi
Rufous-crowned Antpitta Pittasoma rufopileatum
Yellow-breasted Antpitta Grallaria flavotincta
Narino Tapaculo Scytalopus vicinior
Chocó Tapaculo Scytalopus chocoensis
Orange-breasted Fruiteater Pipreola jucunda
Long-wattled Umbrellabird Cephalopterus penduliger
Club-winged Manakin Machaeropterus deliciosus
Yellow-headed Manakin Xenopipo flavicapilla
Beautiful Jay Cyanolyca pulchra
Chocó Vireo Vireo masteri [Now known from Ecuador] - endangered
Black Solitaire Entomodestes coracinus
[Red-bellied Grackle Hypopyrrhus pyrohypogaster Colombia only] - endangered
Tanager Finch Oreothraupis arremonops
Chocó Warbler Basileuterus chlorophrys
[Turquoise Dacnis Dacnis hartlaubi - Colombia only]
Scarlet-breasted Dacnis Dacnis berlepschi
[Chestnut-bellied Flowerpiercer Diglossa gloriosissima - Colombia only] - endangered
Indigo Flowerpiercer Diglossa indigotica
Black-and-gold Tanager Bangsia melanochlamys
Golden-chested Tanager Bangsia rothschildi
Moss-backed Tanager Bangsia edwardsi
Gold-ringed Tanager Bangsia aureocincta - endangered
Purplish-mantled Tanager Iridosornis porphyrocephalus
Glistening-green Tanager Chlorochrysa phoenicotis
[Multicoloured Tanager Chlorochrysa nitidissima - Colombia only]
Blue-whiskered Tanager Tangara johannae
Scarlet-and-white Tanager Chrysothlypis salmoni
[Black-chinned Mountain-Tanager Anisognathus notabilis Colombia only]
[Crested Ant-Tanager Habia cristata - Colombia only]
Dusky-bellied Bush-Tanager Chlorospingus semifuscus
Yellow-green Bush-Tanager Chlorospingus flavovirens
Yellow-collared Chlorophonia Chlorophonia flavirostris

[* asterisk indicated a species added by me. Green highlight is for the 26 species we recorded on this trip. Red indicates that these five species are listed as endangered and the purely Colombian species are shown in blue].

Threats and conservation

Unplanned colonization following the completion of roads and massive logging concessions are major threats to the Chocó forests. Since 1960, over 40% of the forest area has been cleared or heavily degraded, and deforestation rates are accelerating (Salaman 1994). Currently, intensive logging, human settlement, cattle-grazing, mining, wildlife exploitation, and coca and palm cultivation all threaten the region, with forest destruction most severe in the coastal plain and foothills (below c.2,000 m). Over the next 5-10 years the region faces threats from national development projects including dams, roads, sea ports, pipelines and military installations (Dinerstein et al.1995, Wege and Long 1995).

A total of 16 of the restricted-range species is presently thought to be threatened with a further 14 Near Threatened, primarily due to the widespread destruction of forest throughout the region. Several species are extremely poorly known or localized: Turquoise-throated Puffleg Eriocnemis godini, for example, is known from just one locality in Pichincha province of Ecuador, where it is possibly extinct; Banded Ground-Cuckoo Neomorphus radiolosus is genuinely localized, being recorded from very few localities; Colourful Puffleg Eriocnemis mirabilis is known only from within the boundary of Munchique National Park in Colombia; Plumbeous Forest-Falcon Micrastur plumbeus has recently (since c.1960) been recorded from fewer than five localities; Chocó Vireo Vireo masteri is currently known from just two localities [now three]; and the two Dacnis species are patchily distributed, occur at low densities and, though poorly known, appear to be genuinely rare (Collar et al.1994, Salaman and Stiles 1996). Compounding the effects of habitat destruction is hunting pressure which appears to be having a significant negative effect on Baudó Guan Penelope ortoni and Long-wattled Umbrellabird Cephalopterus penduliger the latter species is also captured for the pet trade. Additional, more widespread threatened species that occur within the EBA include Yellow-eared Parrot Ognorhynchus icterotis classified as Critical and Brown Wood-rail Aramides wolfi.

Seventeen Key Areas were recently identified for the EBA's threatened species (10 in Colombia and seven in Ecuador), with at least 10 currently having some form of protected status (Wege and Long 1995). In Ecuador, protected areas include the Awa Forest Reserve Zone, Jatun Sacha Bilsa Biological Reserve, Mindo Nambillo Protection Forest and the Río Palenque Scientific Centre. Total coverage remains, however, relatively small, with very little lowland and foothill forest (below c.1,000 m) represented in these primarily montane protected areas, leaving perhaps the most important portion of this EBA insufficiently protected and exposed to yet further degradation.