Ecuador - The Hummingbirds

Ecuador is also known for its many hummingbird species.  Hummingbirds are a specialty of the tropics and Ecuador alone has recorded at least 130 species.  During my visit to Ecuador, I managed to see 44 species on that list of 130, so there is a lot more to explore in the future. Obviously, I was not able to photograph all of those 44 species.  Some were easier than others, some were species that I had seen before elsewhere, and some just would not cooperate!  Hummingbirds are a fascinating family of birds and they have a plethora of names, some interesting and some rather confusing.

Crowned Woodnymph

Speaking of some of the different names of hummingbirds, there are 3 species of Coronets found in Ecudaor.  We had a trifecta on this group, getting to see all 3 species.  I failed to get any photos of the Velvet-purple Coronet, but the other 2 are shown below. 

 Buff-tailed Coronet

 Chestnut-breasted Coronet

Likewise, there are also 3 species of Violetear found in Ecuador and once again, we hit a trifecta is seeing all 3 species.  And once again, I failed to get a photo of one of them, the Lesser Violetear.  We found that the Sparkling Violetear is pretty aggressive around feeders, but still a stunning bird.  The Brown Violetear had been a bit of a nemesis bird for me, missed finding it in Costa Rica and also Chiapas, Mexico.  And these 2 photos show how they got named 'violet ear'.

 Sparkling Violetear

 Brown Violetear

There are several species of hummingbirds that are known for their long tails.  The next 3 photos cover these species, however the 3rd photo is of a female, which does not have the long tail.  The male Booted Racket-tail has the distinction of the long tail and I was not able to capture a photo of the male.

Black-tailed Trainbearer

Long-tailed Sylph

Booted Racket-tail - Female

Another group of hummingbirds are the Woodstars.  These little jewels are tiny!  None of them exceed 3 inches (7 cm) in length.  And once you see one, you know immediately it is a Woodstar.  They look like midgets compared to the rest of the hummingbird species.  We added 4 species of Woodstar to our lists, and I was able to photograph 3 of them.  

Purple-throated Woodstar

 Gorgeted Woodstar

White-bellied Woodstar

The remainder of  my photos cover an eclectic list of hummingbirds with various different names.  This group of birds is so diverse and each has its own ecological niche in this world.

 Buff-winged Starfrontlet

Golden-breasted Puffleg - note the white puffy legs above the feet.

Great Sapphirewing - This photo does not do justice to this species.

 Rainbow-bearded Thornbill - one of my favorites.

 Sword-billed Hummingbird - Aptly named, bill is longer than the bird.

Tyrian Metaltail

 Andean Emerald

Collared Inca - A very flashy bird when visiting feeders.

 Speckled Hummingbird

 Tourmaline Sunangel

White-necked Jacobin

Shining Sunbeam

What a vast, colorful group of birds.  Would love to spend more time chasing hummingbirds in the tropics, but only time will tell if that happens.  I doubt that I will get as many species on any future trips as I did on this trip to Ecuador.