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5 Incredible Birds from the Colombian Andes

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Benny Isaac Jacobs-Schwartz (BIJS)
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Spectacled Owl family during the day time! 😱 Join

Spectacled Owl family during the day time! 😱

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BIRDS by BIJS - Colombia: Western & Central Andes

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#birdsbybijs #spectacledowl #colombia #birding #owls

The ultra-range restricted endemic from Colombia’s

The ultra-range restricted endemic from Colombia’s Dry Forest - Antioquia Wren

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BIRDS by BIJS - Colombia: Western & Central Andes

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#antioquia #colombia #atioquiawren #birding #birdsbybijs

Common Potoo (Nyctibius griseus) is a large noctur

Common Potoo (Nyctibius griseus) is a large nocturnal bird of lowland forests and forest edges from southern Central America through much of northern and central South America. By day, it roosts upright on exposed branches, snags, or fenceposts, blending in perfectly thanks to its extraordinary camouflage.

At night, Common Potoos hunt by sallying from open perches to snatch large flying insects. They’re most often detected by their eerie, descending song, though a spotlight scan of exposed perches can reveal their glowing eyeshine.

Common Potoos lay a single egg directly on a stump or broken branch—no nest required—and feed on a wide range of large insects, including beetles, cicadas, moths, mantids, termites, ants, and grasshoppers.

BIRDS by BIJS - Colombia: Western & Central Andes

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#commonpotoo #birdsbybijs #birding #colombia #birdingtour

Black-breasted Puffbird (Notharchus pectoralis) B

Black-breasted Puffbird (Notharchus pectoralis)

Bold in black and white, but easy to miss high in the canopy. The Black-breasted Puffbird ranges from Panama’s Canal Zone south to northwestern Ecuador, favoring humid lowland forests below 1,000 m.

Often seen in pairs, it spends most of its time quietly still-hunting from canopy foliage. It overlaps with the smaller Pied Puffbird, but stands out with a broad black breast band, white hindneck, all-black back, and a heavy bill—no real confusion once you’ve seen both.

This species regularly follows Eciton burchellii army ant swarms, dropping lower into the subcanopy to snatch large arthropods like centipedes, spiders, mantises, and grasshoppers—and occasionally small lizards. Prey is beaten against a perch before being swallowed.

A canopy specialist with a surprising taste for chaos. 🐜🖤🤍

BIRDS by BIJS - Colombia: Western & Central Andes

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#birdsbybijs #birdingcolombia #chocó #sancipriano #birding

⚔️ Sword-billed Hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera) A

⚔️ Sword-billed Hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera)

A highly distinctive Andean hummingbird and the sole member of its genus, uniquely possessing a bill longer than its body. When perched, the bill is typically held upright, likely to maintain balance.

This species is a classic example of coevolution, with its extreme bill length closely matching the long, pendent corollas of certain Andean plants, including Brugmansia and Passiflora (Tacsonia). These flowers rely heavily on the Sword-billed Hummingbird for effective pollination, while the bird gains access to nectar unavailable to other hummingbirds.

Also supplements its diet with insects captured by aerial hawking. Forages along trap-lines through mid to upper strata and is usually inconspicuous away from flowering plants.

BIRDS by BIJS - Colombia: Western & Central Andes

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#SwordBilledHummingbird #EnsiferaEnsifera #birding #colombia #birdsbybijs

Buffy Helmetcrest (Oxypogon stuebelii) A high-ele

Buffy Helmetcrest (Oxypogon stuebelii)

A high-elevation hummingbird endemic to the páramo of Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia’s Central Andes. Characterized by a long, pointed black-and-buffy crest and an elongated, narrow green-and-blue gorget.

Typically forages singly at low shrubs, clinging to flowers and occasionally moving along the ground to take insects. Individuals frequently perch on exposed boulders. Seasonal behavior is pronounced: during the wet season, males sing persistently from shrubs, while in the dry season birds are more often encountered in loose groups.

With an estimated population of ~1,000 individuals and a highly restricted range, the species is currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

BIRDS by BIJS - Colombia: Western & Central Andes

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Crowned Chat-Tyrant (Ochthoeca diadema) A high-An

Crowned Chat-Tyrant (Ochthoeca diadema)

A high-Andean flycatcher distributed from Colombia south through Bolivia, typically occurring just below treeline in elfin forest, montane forest edges, scrubby thickets, and Polylepis woodland. Most records fall between ~2,800–4,000 m, with occasional occurrences at lower elevations.

A largely resident species, the Crowned Chat-Tyrant forages singly and remains inconspicuous, spending much of its time low in dense undergrowth. Feeds exclusively on insects, captured by short sallies to foliage, branches, and frequently moss-covered trunks and limbs. Rarely joins mixed-species flocks and vocalizes infrequently.

Despite its striking facial pattern and rufous flanks, its quiet behavior and low foraging height make it easy to overlook in high-Andean habitats.

#CrownedChatTyrant #OchthoecaDiadema #AndesBirds #birdsbybijs #colombia

Shining Sunbeam (Aglaeactis cupripennis) A large,

Shining Sunbeam (Aglaeactis cupripennis)

A large, high-elevation hummingbird of the northern Andes, occurring from upper cloud forest into sub-páramo and open páramo at ~2,500–4,300 m. Occupies semi-arid montane ridges and open landscapes with scattered shrubs and trees, foraging from ground level to the canopy.

Most populations are altitudinal migrants, moving downslope seasonally. Feeds primarily on nectar from a wide range of flowering plants, including Puya, Bomarea, Fuchsia, Centropogon, and Tristerix, with insects taken by aerial hawking. Males are strongly territorial at nectar-rich flowering patches.

BIRDS by BIJS - Colombia: Western & Central Andes

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#shiningsunbeam #birdsbybijs #birding #colombia #andesmountains

Mountain Velvetbreast (Lafresnaya lafresnayi) A h

Mountain Velvetbreast (Lafresnaya lafresnayi)

A high-elevation hummingbird of humid montane forest edges, shrubby slopes, and páramo from ~1,800–3,500 m (locally higher in Ecuador). Most abundant at mid-elevations but shows clear seasonal upslope movements into sub-páramo and páramo.

Feeds primarily on nectar from Centropogon, Siphocampylus, Castilleja, Salvia, and other montane plant groups; males defend nectar territories, while females follow trap-lining routes. Both sexes supplement with aerial and gleaned arthropods.

Breeds across much of the year, constructing bulky moss-and-lichen nests on steep banks or trunks.

Photographed on our ongoing Colombia: Western & Central Andes tour.

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The antpitta that didn’t get the memo 👀🐦 Among a

The antpitta that didn’t get the memo 👀🐦

Among a famously skulky family, the Tawny Antpitta (Grallaria quitensis) plays by its own rules—singing from exposed perches, hopping boldly across open ground, and generally wanting to be seen.

Found high in the Andes (2,200 - 2,800m+), this tawny-bellied rule-breaker is fairly common in elfin forest and páramo from Colombia to Peru. Easy to hear, easier than expected to see… and still somehow under-studied.

Proof that even the shyest lineages have a show-off.

BIRDS by BIJS - Colombia: Western & Central Andes

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#TawnyAntpitta #Antpitta #AndesBirds #HighAndes #birdsbybijs

One of the most stunning high-elevation hummingbir

One of the most stunning high-elevation hummingbirds!

The Rainbow-bearded Thornbill (Chalcostigma herrani) is a compact, and sturdy hummer of high Andean and elfin forest, shrubby páramo, and rocky slopes, adapted to cold, low-oxygen conditions.

Like other thornbills, it has an extremely short bill for its size, a rufous crown. And when the light hits just write males show off their incredible glittering rainbow throat.

They usually forages alone, clinging to flowers rather than hovering, and also hunts insects—flicking prey into the air from the ground or flying at insects with its bill open.

👉 Join us in the Andes on our Colombia Birding Tour | Feb 9–20, 2027 🇨🇴🦜

BIRDS by BIJS - Colombia: Western & Central Andes

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BIRDS by BIJS - Colombia: Western & Central Andes

BIRDS by BIJS - Colombia: Western & Central Andes

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#blackbilledmountaintoucan #viral #explorpage #colombia #birding

Chestnut-naped Antpitta from our ongoing… COLOMBI

Chestnut-naped Antpitta from our ongoing…

COLOMBIA: Western & Central Andes Tour!

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🇨🇴 Feb 9-20, 2027

BIRDS by BIJS - Colombia: Western & Central Andes

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Would you be down to see the OILBIRD in person? J

Would you be down to see the OILBIRD in person?

Join us in Colombia 2027 to see it for yourself!

📆 Feb 9-20, 2027 🇨🇴

BIRDS by BIJS - Colombia: Western & Central Andes

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Andean Cock-of-the Rock from our ongoing Colombia

Andean Cock-of-the Rock from our ongoing Colombia - W. and C. Andes Tour!

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FEB 9-20,2027

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Chestnut Wood-Quail (Odontophorus hyperythrus) En

Chestnut Wood-Quail (Odontophorus hyperythrus)

Endemic to Colombia, found only in the western and central Andes, and is a special sighting anytime!

• Typically occurs at 1,600–2,400 m elevation
• Dense montane and cloud forest, especially with thick understory
• Ground-dwelling; rarely flies unless flushed
• Usually found in small family groups
• Extremely secretive—more often heard than seen

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🇨🇴🇨🇴🇨🇴 Join us Feb 9-20, 2027! BIRDS by BIJS - Co

🇨🇴🇨🇴🇨🇴 Join us Feb 9-20, 2027!

BIRDS by BIJS - Colombia: Western & Central Andes

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DM FOR INFO! Join us next time! •_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_

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INDIGO FLOWERPIERCER!!! 😱😱😱 BIRDS by BIJS - Colom

INDIGO FLOWERPIERCER!!! 😱😱😱

BIRDS by BIJS - Colombia: Western & Central Andes

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🇨🇴🇨🇴🇨🇴 COLOMBIA 2027 ??? Join our world-class bir

🇨🇴🇨🇴🇨🇴 COLOMBIA 2027 ???

Join our world-class birding tours!

☎️ Western & Central Andes // Feb 9-20
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