Ecuador - On the Trail of the Jocotoco Antpitta

When the Jocotoco Antpitta was discovered back in 1997, deep within the moss-draped cloudforests of the eastern slopes of the southern Ecuadorian Andes it greatly excited the ornithological world. Heading the small team of five which discovered the bird were Bob Ridgely and John Moore. Their team’s goal had actually been for John to obtain further sound recordings for his work on the ‘Vocalizations of Birds of the Neotropics’ and for Bob to tidy some loose ends prior to the publication of the seminal ‘Birds of Ecuador’. It was this new bird’s distinctive ‘jo-jo-jo-jo-jo-jo’ which alerted the group to the undescribed species. Interestingly, locals were familiar with the calls of the bird, but had never seen what made them!

Nearly 30 years on, this tour takes us first to the deep south of Ecuador, near to the Peruvian border, where a suite of Tumbesian endemics await us at Urruca Lodge in the Jorupe Reserve, including Gray-headed Antbird, Rusty-breasted Antpitta, Piura Hemispingus, Jelski's Chat-tyrant, Black-crested Tit-Tyrant, Purple-throated Sunangel and Rainbow Starfrontlet. Our next base, again for three nights, is Copalinga Lodge on the edge of the Podocarpus National Park. The feeders in the grounds of the lodge will be buzzing with hummingbirds such as Wire-crested Thorntail, Spangled Coquette and many others, while Blackish Nightjar and Gray Tinamou can be seen nearby.

The tour nears conclusion with two nights at Tapichalaca Reserve where, three decades after its discovery, we will be able to see Jocotoco Antpitta as it comes out to feed on earthworms at an antpitta feeding station. A flight to Quito and a day at Antisana for Andean Condors, hopefully Spectacled Bears and spellbinding scenery rounds off this exciting itinerary, which can be extended with a pre-tour visit to the north-west cloudforests, or a post-tour stay at one of the fabulous lodges along the Napo River in Amazonia (our recommendations being Sacha Lodge or Napo Wildlife Centre).