CHOCÓ Biome Endemics and Near-Endemics List
Birding Site Guide
BENES lists are unique to BSG and were created for the website.
This list contains all species endemic to or difficult to find outside of, this ecoregion. They differ importantly from Endemic Bird Areas because the size of the area they cover is the whole ecoregion, whereas EBA are restricted to 50,000km2, they furthermore not only include all endemic species but also all other species which are difficult to observe outside the individual biomes (this naturally includes near-endemics and any other more widespread threatened or near-threatened species). This was quite deliberately done to provide ready made lists for birders of all scarce species they could expect to see in the region.
main altitiude and habitats given
- Note; virtually all Choco habitat is evergreen tropical forest, unless otherwise stated
- Altitude zones (m): 0-750 lowland, 750-1,250 foothill, 1,250-1,750 lower montane, 1,750-3,000 montane, 3,000+ elfin etc
- For information on altitude and terminology and references used refer to About Biogeography and References Used By BSG
- globally threatened NT, VU, EN, CR
- Berlepsch's Tinamou Crypturellus berlepschi below 300 lowland forest edge
- Plumbeous Forest-Falcon EN Micrastur plumbeus below 300 pluvial lowland
- Baudo Guan VU Penelope ortoni below 1000 tropical lowland
- Dark-backed Wood-Quail NT Odontophorus melanonotus 1,200-2,700 lower montane to montane
- Brown Wood-Rail Aramides wolfi to 1,300 swamp in lowland & foothill
- Dusky Pigeon Columba goodsoni to 800 lowland
- Pallid Dove Leptotila pallida to 800 lowland
- Indigo-crowned Quail-Dove Geotrygon purpurata 200-700 pluvial lowland
- Yellow-eared Parrot CR Ognorhynchus icterotis 1,800-3,200 canopy montane
- Rose-faced Parrot Pionopsitta pulchra to 1,200 foothill
- Banded Ground-Cuckoo EN Neomorphus radiolosus to 500 lowland
- Colombian Screech-Owl** NT Otus colombianus 1,250-2,000 lower montane
- Cloud-forest Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium nubicola 1,400-2,000 lower montane to montane
- Choco Poorwill NT Nyctiphrynus rosenbergi to 600 lowland
- White-whiskered Hermit Phaethornis yaruqui to 1,300 foothill & edge
- Western Emerald Chlorostilbon melanorhynchus 600-1,800, nw 1,500-2,700 arid & montane forest
- Humboldt's Sapphire Hylocharis humboldti coastal mangroves and forest
- Purple-chested Hummingbird Polyerata rosenbergi to 600 lowland
- Purple-bibbed Whitetip Urosticte benjamini 900-1,500 foothill to lower montane
- Empress Brilliant Heliodoxa imperatrix 1,500-2,000 lower montane to montane
- Brown Inca Coeligena wilsoni 800-2,000 foothill to montane
- Velvet-purple Coronet Boissonneaua jardini 800-1,700 foothill to lower montane
- Gorgeted Sunangel Heliangelus strophianus 1,700-2,300 lower montane to montane
- Turquoise-throated Puffleg* CR Eriocnemis godini extinct? 2,100-2,300 montane areas
- Colourful Puffleg** VU Eriocnemis mirablilis 2,200-2,450 montane & secondary
- Hoary Puffleg NT Haplophaedia lugens 1,700-2,100 montane
- Violet-tailed Sylph Aglaiocercus coelestis 900-2,200 foothill to montane
- Choco Trogon Trogon comptus 300-800 lowland
- Sooty-capped Puffbird** NT Bucco noanamae to 100 lowland & secondary
- Orange-fronted Barbet NT Capito squamatus to 1,000 lowland to foothill & open
- Five-colored Barbet VU Capito quinticolor 100-350 lowland & secondary
- Toucan Barbet NT Semnornis ramphastinus 1,000-2,400 foothill to montane
- Pale-mandibled Aracari Pteroglossus erythropygius to 1,500 foothill to lower montane
- Stripe-billed Aracari Pteroglossus sanguineus to 800 lowland
- Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan NT Andigena laminirostris 1,600-2,600 montane
- Choco Toucan Ramphastos brevis to 900 lowland to foothill
- Lita Woodpecker Piculus litae to 800 lowland
- Choco Woodpecker NT Veniliornis chocoensis 200-700 lowland
- Double-banded Graytail Xenerpestes minlosi 400-500 lowland
- Pacific Tuftedcheek Pseudocolaptes johnsoni 700-1,700 foothills to lower montane
- Star-chested Treerunner Margarornis stellatus 1,200-1,900 lower montane to montane
- Uniform Treehunter Thripadectes ignobilis 1,000-1,700 foothill to lower montane
- Bicoloured Antvireo VU Dysithamnus occidentalis 1,500-2200 montane ridge gaps
- Esmeraldas Antbird Myrmeciza nigricauda 500-1,100 lowland to foothill
- Stub-tailed Antbird Myrmeciza berlepschi to 500 lowland
- Rufous-crowned Antpitta Pittasoma rufopileatum 200-700 lowland
- Giant Antpitta VU Grallaria gigantean 1,400-2,300 lower montane to montane
- Moustached Antpitta EN Grallaria alleni 1,850-2,200 montane
- Yellow-breasted Antpitta Grallaria flavotincta 1,500-2,350 lower montane to montane
- Nariño Tapaculo Scytalopus vicinior 1,250-2,100 lower montane to montane
- Choco Tapaculo Scytalopus chocoensis 350-950 lowland to foothill
- Pacific Flatbill Rhynchocyclus pacificus to 800 lowland
- Orange-crested Flycatcher Myiophobus phoenicomitra 600-1,550 foothill to lower montane
- Orange-breasted Fruiteater Pipreola jucunda 600-1,700 foothill to lower montane
- Long-wattled Umbrellabird VU Cephalopterus penduliger 200-1,100 lowland to foothill
- Club-winged Manakin Machaeropterus deliciosus 600-1,600 lowland to lower montane
- Yellow-headed Manakin NT Chloropipo flavicapilla 1,500-2,100 lower montane to montane
- Beautiful Jay NT Cyanolyca pulchra 1,300-2,000 lower montane to montane
- Choco Vireo** VU Vireo masteri 1,200-1,600 lower montane
- Black Solitaire NT Entomodestes coracinus 1,100-1,600 foothill to lower montane
- Choco Warbler Basileuterus chlorophrys 400-1,200 lowland to foothill
- Turquoise Dacnis-Tanager** VU Psuedodacnis hartlaubi 1,350-2,200 lower montane to montane
- Scarlet-breasted Dacnis VU Dacnis berlepschi to 600 lowland
- Indigo Flowerpiercer Diglossopis indigotica 1,600-2,000 lower montane to montane
- Chestnut-bellied Flowerpiercer** NT Diglossopis gloriosissima 3,000-3,800 elfin
- Scarlet-and-white Tanager Chrysothlypis salmoni to 600 lowland
- Yellow-collared Chlorophonia Chlorophonia flavirostris 100-1,500 lowland to lower montane
- Glistening-green Tanager Chlorochrysa phoenicotis 600-1,700 lowland to lower montane
- Multicoloured Tanager** VU Chlorochrysa nitidissima 1,300-2,200 lower montane to montane
- Rufous-throated Tanager Tangara rufigula 600-1,400 lowland to lower montane
- Gray-and-gold Tanager Tangara palmeri 400-1,100 lowland to foothill
- Blue-whiskered Tanager NT Tangara johannae to 800 lowland
- Crested Ant-Tanager** Habia cristata 700-2,100 foothill to montane
- Purplish-mantled Tanager NT Iridosornis porphyrocephala 1,500-2,200 lower montane to montane
- Black-chinned Mountain-Tanager Anisognathus notabilis 1,400-2,200 lower montane to montane
- Black-&-gold Tanager** EN Bangsia melanochlamys 1,000-2,300 foothill to montane
- Golden-chested Tanager Bangsia rothschildi 100-600 lowland
- Moss-backed Tanager Bangsia edwardsi 400-1,100 lowland to foothill
- Golden-ringed Tanager** VU Bangsia aureocincta 1,600-2,200 lower montane to montane
- Lemon-spectacled Tanager Chlorothraupis olivacea to 450 lowland
- Ochre-breasted Tanager Chlorothraupis stolzmanni 400-1,500 lowland to lower montane
- Scarlet-browed Tanager Heterospingus xanthopygius to 800 lowland to foothill
- Dusky Bush-Tanager Chlorospingus semifuscus 1,200-2,300 lower montane to montane
- Yellow-green Bush-Tanager VU Chlorospingus flavovirens 500-1,050 lowland to foothill
- Western Hemispingus Hemispingus ochraceus 1,600-2,200 lower montane to montane
- White-rimmed Brush-Finch Atlapetes leucopis 2,200-3,100 montane
- Tanager Finch VU Oreothraupis arremonops 1,300-2,300 lower montane to montane
- Red-bellied Grackle** EN Hypopyrrhus pyrohypogaster 800-2,400 foothill to montane
*Ecuadorian endemic **Colombian endemic - main references (see Reference Used By BSG list for full titles)
- BirdLife International
- Ridgely, R.S. & Greenfield, P.J. (2001)
BirdLife International (2005) Data Zone. www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html www.birdlife.org/datazone/ebas/index.html
World Wildlife Fund: Wildfinder. www.worldwildlife.org/wildfinder/searchBySpecies.cfm
Author: BSG
www.birdingsiteguide.com