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.
Please
note that additional info (prices, activities, etc) are found
to the right of this pages. 
 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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