Swamp Flycatcher

Plump, colorful bird of cloud forest along the east slope of the Andes. Plumage is mostly green and yellow, and male has a red throat and breast. Female may have a yellow or orange chin patch, but this feature is often absent on Ecuadorian birds. Female is similar to female Fiery-throated Fruiteater but larger and with an orange (not black) bill. Plucks berries at mid-levels in the forest, and often found in pairs. Gives high-pitched chips and whistles, sometimes followed by a trill.

A medium-sized bird of lowland forest edge and clearings. Distinctive plumage. Mainly black, bright red above and below the base of the tail, and white marks on the cheek and back. Perches in tall trees, sallying for flying insects. Very similar to Mountain Peltops, but Lowland is found at lower elevations and has a smaller white cheek. Voice, a double note rap, “plik-it!” repeated at regular intervals. Also, a distinctive, unbirdlike, vibrating rattle.

A tiny, short-billed sunbird with a metallic-green back and a yellow belly. The male has a green throat and a narrow purplish breast band; the female is duller, with a yellow throat and no breast band. Pairs frequent forest edge, woodland, and savanna, where they join mixed-species flocks to glean leaves and hover to catch insect prey. But they will also feed on fruit and nectar, often by piercing the base of a flower and sucking out nectar without pollinating. The “yellow-bellied” races of Variable Sunbird differ from Collared Sunbird by being larger, with a longer bill and broader purple-blue breast band.