11 Incredible Birds of Ecuador by Jess Findlay

Ecuador is home to a huge variety of stunning wildlife. Canadian wildlife photographer Jess Findlay recently travelled there to photograph the bird life that calls the forest its home. Jess captured photographs of birds that will make your jaw drop! Here you can see evolution at its finest, producing some truly striking animals.

Masked Trogon

Jess beautifully captured the bright colours of this trogon against a lovely bokeh. This bird is around 27 centimetres in length, and weighs just 56 grams.

Sword-billed Hummingbird

At first glance, you may think this image is doctored. Surely such a small bird cannot have such a long bill? However, the bird (which weighs just 10-15 grams) uses this adaptation to allow it to feed on the nectar of large, tubular flowers. Its bill is actually longer than its body!

Hoatzin

Living throughout the Amazon rainforest, the Hoatzin is a strange species of bird. They are often seen clambering about in dense vegetation. The young birds have two claws on each wing which they use to climb back to their nests. This is a helpful skill, as if they are forced to flee the nest they can always return. They eat nearly 100% leaves, and bacterial fermentation helps to break down all the cellulose.

Torrent Ducks

These birds live in fast-moving mountain rivers (hence the name Torrent Duck). Their strong tails act as rudders when they swim underwater. Long claws help them grip on slippery rocks and stay in position.

Agami Heron

The beautiful tones of this heron make it an instant attraction to the viewer. It uses its large bill to catch fish, amphibians and small reptiles.

Red-headed Barbet

The sinister appearance of these masked passerines strikes fear into the hearts of berries and fruits throughout Ecuador’s humid montane forests.

Yellow-crowned Parrots

With so much vegetation sapping the nutrients from the soil, rainforest animals will swarm upon mineral-rich areas of ground. These parrots fly in their hundreds, or even thousands, to clay banks where they can get the minerals they need to neutralise the acidic seeds and fruits that make up a large amount of their diet.

San Isidro Owl

This image brings to mind cartoons of dark forests with eyes in the trees, watching and waiting.

Booted Racket-tail

A very quick moment in time frozen in a photograph – this image shows a tiny hummingbird feeding on the nectar of Andean blueberry flowers.

Long-tailed Sylph

Another bird sporting incredible colours, this male relies on the length of its tail feathers to attract a mate. For the long-tailed sylph, size really does matter!

Crimson-rumped Toucanet

Found in the canopy of humid montane forests, this bird forages for fruits, invertebrates and small reptiles. Jess compliments the beautiful green tones of the bird with a gorgeous green background.

To view more of Jess’s work, head to his website at www.jessfindlay.com. Prints are also available on his website.