Birdwatching Tour in Ecuador. 13 days Southern.
Main Birding Spots Southern Ecuador 2025 – 2026
Podocarpus National Park, Loja and Zamora; Bombuscaro River – Tropical Forest and Copalinga Reserve 800 meters. Tapichalaca Reserve. Jorupe and Utuana Reserves. Lowlands: Coast: Buenaventura Reserve.
Coast: Santa Rosa – Arenillas Reserve
Flight Quito Santa Rosa. in the morning
Trip Starting from Santa Rosa. Birding whole morning, Laguna Tembladera, Puerto Jeli, Hualtaco, Arenillas Reserve. Middle of day: Drive to Buenaventura Reserve. Lunch.
Overnight at the Long-wattled Umbrellabird lodge, 3 nights
Buenaventura Reserve.
Three full days exploring the diverse habitats of Buenaventura Lower and highest part 400 to 1200 meters.
Targets: Long-wattled Umbrellabird, El Oro Parakeet, Chestnut-mandibled Toucan, Club-winged Manakin, White-bearded Manakin, and Choco Toucan.
Other specialties include Gray-backed Hawk, Pacific Tuftedcheek, White-whiskered Hermit, Rufous-throated Tanager, and the endemic El Oro Parakeet.
Jorupe Reserve.Urraca lodge
Bird around the Lodge, full day birding in the dry forest. Typical species include Harris’s Hawk, Watkins’s Antpitta, Collared Antshrike, Pacific Elaenia, Henna-hooded Foliage-Gleaner, and Blackish Spinetail.Afternoon drive to the border Ecuador – Peru bridge.
Jorupe Reserve -Utuana Reserve
Short drive (1 hr) to Utuana Reserve. The 1 km entrance road is very productive.
Highlights: Plain-breasted Hawk, Chapman’s Antshrike, Black-cowled Saltator, Gray-headed Antbird, and the rare Black-crested Tit-Tyrant. Also possible: Rainbow Starfrontlet, Green-tailed Trainbearer, and Variable Hawk.
Return to Jorupe for dinner and overnight.
Tapichalaca Reserve. Casa Simpson Lodge.
Tapichalaca and Valladolid Town.
After breakfast, we walk about 40 minutes along a forest trail to see the iconic Jocotoco Antpitta.
Other species include Lacrimose Mountain-Tanager, Grass-green Tanager, Ocellated Tapaculo, Rufous Wren, Orange-banded Flycatcher, and Azara’s Spinetail.
Common species are: The Bearded Guan, Masked Trogon,
Crimson-mantled Woodpecker, Russet-crowned Warbler, Azara´s Spinetail, Yellow-bellied Brush Finch. We will also see Tanagers such as Grass-green Tanager,
Lacrimouse-mountain Tanager, Buff-breasted Mountain Tanager, Scarlet-bellied
Mountain Tanager, Hooded Mountain Tanager, Red Hooded Tanager. Hummingbirds such as , Little Sunangel, Collared Inca.
Awide variety of other species such as the Barred Fruiteater, Black-chested
Buzzard Eagle Smoky-bush Tyrant, White-banded Tyrannulet, Black Capped
Tyrannulet can also be seen, and with a bit of luck we may see the Gray-breasted Mountain Toucan. Plushcap (Catamblyrhynchus diadema), Golden.crowned Tanager.
In the afternoon we bird around Valladolid (1,600 m) for species such as Marañón Thrush, White-lined Tanager, Streaked Saltator, and hummingbirds like Andean Emerald and Sparkling Violetear.
Copalinga Reserve
Arrival at 16h00 pm.
Copalinga Reserve is located beside the Bombuscaro River.
Here, forest trails and gardens provide excellent opportunities for hummingbirds such as Wire-crested Thorntail, Fork-tailed Woodnymph, Violet-headed Hummingbird, Golden-tailed Sapphire, and possibly the elusive Spangled Coquette.
Other likely species: White-banded Swallow, Long-tailed Tyrant, Mottle-backed Elaenia, and mixed flocks of tanagers Black-faced Dacnis, Orange-eared, Paradise, Blue-necked, and Bay-headed Tanagers, Dark-breasted Spinetail, Lined Antshrike, and Blackish Antbird.
Morning birding along the Bombuscaro River in search
of White-capped Dipper, Torrent Duck, Green Kingfisher.
Later, we explore Podocarpus National Park, only 3 km from Copalinga. Along the entrance trail we look for Coppery-chested Jacamar, White-necked Parakeet, Wedge-billed Woodcreeper, Ornate Flycatcher, and a wide variety of tanagers (Golden-eared, Flame-crested, Yellow-throated Bush-Tanager).
Targets also include Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, Amazonian Umbrellabird,
Ecuadorian Piedtail, and Andean Motmot.