Tag Archives: Birding in Colombia

Rusty-headed Spinetail is a rare furnariid found only in northern Colombia. Restricted to the Santa Marta Mountains, this species is found in forest undergrowth and edge habitat between 2000 and 3000 meters in elevation. In appearance, it is largely rufous with a bright rusty-orange head, an olive-gray back and grayish flanks. In the Santa Martas, the Rusty-headed Spinetail is the only Synallaxis to be found, so it is rather easy to identify there. The species’ three-part song, which is frequently repeated, is a good way to detect this secretive species.

The purple-throated fruitcrow (Querula purpurata) is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae, the cotingas. It is the only species of the genus Querula. It is native to Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama and most of the northern half of South America, its habitat being humid lowland forest where it feeds mainly on insects and fruit. It is a glossy black, medium-sized bird and the male has a purple-red throat patch

The pied-billed grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) is a species of the grebe family of water birds. Since the Atitlán grebe (Podilymbus gigas) has become extinct, it is the sole extant member of the genus Podilymbus. The pied-billed grebe is primarily found in ponds throughout the Americas. Other names of this grebe include American dabchick, dabchick, Carolina grebe, devil-diver, dive-dapper, dipper, hell-diver, pied-billed dabchick, pied-bill, thick-billed grebe, and water witch.

The Antioquia bristle tyrant (Pogonotriccus lanyoni) is a species of passerine bird in the family Tyrannidae. It is endemic to Colombia. This species is sometimes placed in the genus Phylloscartes.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

The male of this species is known to produce a unique mechanical sound with its highly modified secudar feathers. It was previously classified in the genus Allocotopterus. Its name Machaeropterus comes from the Greek roots makhaira = knife or dagger and pteros = winged. The epithet deliciosus comes from Latin and means delicate.

The barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) is the most widespread species of swallow in the world. It is a distinctive passerine bird with blue upperparts and a long, deeply forked tail. It is found in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. In Anglophone Europe it is just called the swallow; in Northern Europe it is the only common species called a «swallow» rather than a «martin».

It is a species with a sonorous and melodious song that makes it a favorite species as a cage bird. They live on the edges of forest, stubble, plantations and parks with tall vegetation. You can travel in pairs or in groups of up to ten copies. It feeds on insects, fruits and nectar. Its name comes from the Greek íkteros which means yellow, and its specific epithet chrysater means dark gold in color (chryseus = gold and atér = black).