Tag Archives: Birds of Colombia

The Hoatzin also called Chenchena (in the Colombian Llanos), pava serere (in Bolivia), shansho (in Peru), guacharaca de agua (in Venezuela), or pava hedionda (in Colombia), it is a species of opistocomiform bird, the only representative of the genus Opisthocomus and of the family Opisthocomidae. No subspecies are known. The word Opisthocomus comes from the Greek opisthe, «behind» and komes, «hair» It is a peculiar tropical bird that inhabits the swampy areas that surround the Amazon and Orinoco rivers in South America.

The Western Emerald (Chlorostilbon melanorhynchus) is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. Alternatively, it has been considered as a subspecies of either the blue-tailed emerald, C. mellisugus, or the red-billed emerald, C. gibsoni. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador.

The Black-capped Donacobius (Donacobius atricapilla) is a conspicuous, vocal South American bird. It is found in tropical swamps and wetlands in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela; also Panama of Central America.

Andean Pygmy-Owl has rufous and brown color morphs. The head is spotted in the adult and streaked in the juvenile. All color morphs show “false eyes” on the nape area. The breast can be rufous or brown with broad streaks down the belly. The pattern of streaks and spots on the upperparts vary with the color morph. The iris is yellow. The color morphs in Glaucidium pygmy-owls makes visual identification challenging. Voice, elevation, and range should be considered for proper identification. Also, see Yungas Pygmy-Owl and Subtropical Pygmy-Owl

The Multicolored Tanager is a small-sized passerine bird approximately 12 cm (5 in.) long. Males have a yellow crown, face, mantle, and throat; chestnut and black ear coverts; bright green nape and wings; blue rump, breast, and belly; and a black patch in the center of the underparts. Females are duller and lack the yellow mantle and black patch on the underparts. Immature birds of both sexes resemble females, but are duller.

White Ibises occur in many types of wetlands including swamps, mangroves, flooded pastures, freshwater marshes, and shallow ponds. They forage most often in wet areas with less than 8 inches of water and sparse, short vegetation, but they also forage on lawns and in parks, especially in southern Florida where they are now accustomed to humans. They nest in colonies in trees and shrubs near fresh, brackish, or salt water. During the nesting season, they forage more frequently in freshwater wetlands because nestlings cannot safely consume large amounts of salt. During the nonbreeding season, they use coastal wetlands more frequently.

The genus lipaugus refers to the gray color of this bird and derives from the Greek term lipauges which means dark. The epithet weberi was dedicated to Walter H. Weber for his great contribution to the Antioquia Ornithological Society (SAO) and for promoting the study and conservation of birds in Colombia. The name refers to its most contrasting morphological characteristic and the name in Spanish (Arrierito Antioqueño) refers to the department of Antioquia, the only region in Colombia where this bird has been found.

It inhabits the humid and very humid tropical and subtropical forests. Moderately common in the passage between the basins of Cauca and Nechí- near Ventanas (above Valdivia). In cloud forest with dense understory. The region where he lives is currently deforested to a large extent.

In the females, the upper and middle rectrices are bronze-green. The dull black lateral rectrices are bronze iridescent. The throat center and chest are greyish with small green speckles, turning to bronze green on the sides and golden green on the abdomen.