Ecuador Birding – Where Every Feather Tells a Story

From October 26, 2025 through November 8, 2025 I joined 5 other adventurers and an outstanding photographer and birding guide (Liron Gertsman) with Eagle-Eye Tours to Ecuador. This blog series highlights the animals (mostly birds), people and locations we encountered over the 14 full days in this beautiful land.
*Unless otherwise indicated in the image caption, all photographs (>99%) are mine.
**Best when viewed on full computer screen**

Ecuador Birding: Blog Post #6
“When Antpittas Come Calling“

A Reflections of the Natural World Blog Post Series by Jim Gain

DAY 1 – Morning

• My Ecuador Species Count including Zuro Loma jumps up to: 38 (30 lifers)
• Primary eBird Hotspot: Reserva Zuro Loma

At a designated time, one of the workers announced he would be placing worms at the antpitta feeding spot. We followed him to a small clearing at the side of the shelter where he scattered live worms and played the call of our first target antpitta: the EQUATORIAL ANTPITTA. It took no more than twenty seconds for a bird to answer, and within moments we were staring at one just a few feet away—round, alert, and impossibly charismatic. Its cinnamon‑brown plumage blended perfectly with the leaf litter, but its large, expressive eyes and upright posture gave it a presence that was almost theatrical.

As we admired it, a sudden movement to our left caught my eye: our first glimpse of the legendary SWORD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRD. True to its reputation, it appeared only briefly, hovering for a heartbeat with its impossibly long bill—longer than its entire body—pointing straight ahead like a rapier. Then, just as quickly, it vanished back into the forest, leaving us stunned.

The groundskeeper who had placed the worms earlier, told us he would try calling in another species—the CHESTNUT-NAPED ANTPITTA. While he prepared, we were treated to spectacular views of a BUFF-WINGED STARFRONTLET, its glittering green body and golden wing patches catching the light as it hovered near the feeders.

A female GREEN-TAILED TRAINBEARER followed, its slender, iridescent tail streaming behind it like a ribbon as it perched delicately on a mossy branch.

The groundskeeper whispered that the CHESTNUT-NAPED ANTPITTA was getting closer, and soon enough it hopped into view. Its rich chestnut nape and olive‑brown body gave it a warm, earthy look, and it paused just long enough for us to admire its portrait‑perfect pose before slipping back into the undergrowth.

It was a morning of magic—of rare birds, fleeting glimpses, and the quiet thrill of being exactly where you were meant to be.

NEXT UP: EB#7 “And Still More Hummingbirds“

Additional Photographs and Video

Previous Ecuador Birding Blog Posts:

• 
  EB50 – Called From the Mist: Gray‑breasted Mountain‑Toucan at Guango
  A steep climb above Guango Lodge led to an unforgettable encounter with Gray‑breasted Mountain‑Toucans and Pale‑naped Brushfinches. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with a birding tour in Ecuador.
• 
  EB49 – Turquoise Jay: The Andean Jewel of Ecuador
  At Guango Lodge, the Turquoise Jay’s explosive burst of color and the challenge of photographing its shifting blues transformed a rich morning of cloudforest birding into a defining moment that propelled us up the trail in search of the next Andean treasure. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with a birding tour in Ecuador.
• 
  EB48 – Moth Lights and Mountain Birds: A New Chapter Begins at Guango Lodge
  Arriving at Guango Lodge felt like entering a cooler, quieter Andean world where dawn birds and the forest’s layered rhythms created a timeless, living welcome woven from mist, movement, and the murmur of the Río Papallacta. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with a birding tour in Ecuador.
• 
  EB47 – Ascending Into Mist and Mountain Air at Río Quijos EcoLodge
  Climbing from El Quetzal toward Río Quijos, the day unfolded as a seamless blend of roadside surprises, river‑edge targets, and cloudforest color, each stop adding new species and renewed momentum as the journey pressed on toward Guango Lodge. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with a birding tour in Ecuador.
• 
  EB46 – El Quetzal Bosque Protegido: Songbirds of the Afternoon
  An afternoon walk through El Quetzal revealed a calmer, more contemplative side of the forest, where understated songbirds and familiar species offered quiet beauty and character before the journey carried us onward toward new habitats and fresh surprises. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with a birding tour in Ecuador.
• 
  EB45 – Midday Birding Adventures in the El Quetzal Protected Forest
  El Quetzal Bosque Protegido unfolded as a lush, hummingbird‑filled sanctuary where the cloudforest’s color, motion, and quiet magic set the stage for a vibrant midday interlude before the forest shifted toward an entirely new cast of characters. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with a birding tour in Ecuador.

>>Ecuador Birding Blog Home Page Link https://reflectionsofthenaturalworld.com/ecuador-birding/

*This Ecuador Birding blog post was shaped and polished with the assistance of Microsoft Copilot, helping bring clarity and a consistent flow to my field notes and dictated memories.