Juan Freile

• Comité Ecuatoriano de Registros Ornitológicos

Conservation programs need improved tools to measure the recovery of animal diversity across restoration gradients. We used soundscapes and expert identifications of bird species to calculate niche position (i.e., mean of environmental conditions across all areas a species occupies) and niche breadth (i.e., the standard deviation of the species dis...

Owls hold significant utilitarian and aesthetic values for humans, ranging from pest control to ecotourism. However, cultural beliefs rooted in negative perceptions and emotions have led to conflicts and threats to many owl species. In South America, research on the relationship between owls and people is limited. This study aims to identify the va...

Tropical forest recovery is fundamental to addressing the intertwined climate and biodiversity loss crises. While regenerating trees sequester carbon relatively quickly, the pace of biodiversity recovery remains contentious. Here, we use bioacoustics and metabarcoding to measure forest recovery post-agriculture in a global biodiversity hotspot in E...

The Club-winged Manakin Machaeropterus deliciosus is an iconic Pipridae species due to its display behavior, including unique mechanical sounds produced by vibrating modified wing feathers. However, its nesting biology remains poorly known. We present a detailed description of one nest studied in northwest Ecuador in June–July 2021. We provide new...

Sexto reporte del Comité Ecuatoriano de Registros Ornitológicos (CERO) Resumen Presentamos nuevos registros de distribución de aves del Ecuador que han sido evaluados por el Comité Ecuatoriano de Registros Ornitológicos (CERO) entre octubre 2019 y noviembre 2021. Incorporamos registros de tres especies nuevas en la lista nacional: Hydrocoloeus minu...

The Blue-throated Hillstar Oreotrochilus cyanolaemus is a recently described hummingbird endemic to the southern Andes of Ecuador. This "Critically Endangered" species faces multiple conservation problems; thus, acquiring basic ecological information is a key step for guiding sound and integral conservation actions. We performed a series of expedit...

Presentamos las memorias de la VII Reunión Ecuatoriana de Ornitología (VII REO), desarrollada en Cuenca, en 27–31 de julio de 2022. La VII REO contó con cuatro charlas magistrales, un simposio sobre áreas clave para la biodiversidad en Ecuador, 54 presentaciones orales y pósters, un conversatorio sobre anillamiento de aves en el país y seis tallere...

A major barrier to advancing ornithology is the systemic exclusion of professionals from the Global South. A recent special feature, Advances in Neotropical Ornithology, and a shortfalls analysis therein, unintentionally followed a long-standing pattern of highlighting individuals, knowledge, and views from the Global North, while largely omitting...

Global-scope scientific journals have played an important role in upholding a colonial legacy of north-south inequities in ornithology, and they now have a key role to play in increasing equity in scientific publishing. We explore common barriers faced by ornithologists in the Neotropics (Latin America and the Caribbean) and suggest priority action...

Ecuador territory barely surpasses 28 million hectares, but it is home to 29 owl species, which represent 62% of all owl species in South America. Knowledge of the trophic ecology of owls is fundamental for understanding how they correlate with their environment, which organisms they prey upon, and to which extent they are beneficial for humans' he...

El presente documento constituye una guía técnica orientada a la difusión de los Corredores de Conectividad en Ecuador. Contempla cuatro temas: 1) La conceptualización de varios elementos que fundamentan la conservación de la biodiversidad y la necesidad de conectar los paisajes; 2) un breve resumen de las diversas iniciativas de este tipo que se h...

Esta información corresponde a los polígonos de todos los corredores de conectividad u otra denominación que han sido propuestos o reconocidos dentro de Ecuador.

Los corredores biológicos o de conectividad se han convertido en estrategias de conservación de creciente implementación en Colombia, Ecuador y Perú. Su implementación data desde la década de 1990, por lo que todavía están en proceso de consolidación, su aplicación no ha sido consistente y existe limitada investigación científica sobre su efectivid...

A major barrier to advancing ornithology is the systemic exclusion of professionals from the Global South. A recent special dossier, Advances in Neotropical Ornithology, and a shortfalls analysis therein, unintentionally followed a long-standing pattern of highlighting individuals, knowledge, and views from the Global North, while largely omitting...

Studying the genetic signatures of evolutionary diversification in young lineages is among the most promising approaches for unveiling the processes behind speciation. Here, we focus on Oreotrochilus chimborazo, a high Andean species of hummingbird that might have experienced rapid diversification in the recent past. To understand the evolution of...

Wepresent new distributional records of birds in Ecuador evaluated by the Committee for Ecuadorian Records in Ornithology (CERO) from November 2017 through June 2019. This report includes two species new to Ecuador (Pelecanoides garnotii, Conirostrum margaritae), five species with first documented country records (Thaumastura cora, Anous minutus, S...

En 14 abril 2010 observé un individuo de Chungüi Alicastaño Cinclodes albidiventris ingiriendo una flor de Disterigma sp., una ericácea terrestre de flores rastreras color rosa.

El 14 de mayo de 2020, diversos actores del medio ornitológico del Ecuador discutimos sobre la necesidad de fortalecer un colectivo nacional de observadores y aficionados de aves. Uno de los primeros pasos que se identificó como elemento fundamental para avanzar hacia la consolidación de este colectivo fue, realizar un censo de todas las personas y...

We present new distributional records of birds in Ecuador submitted to the Committee for Ecuadorian Records in Ornithology (CERO) from September 2015 through July 2017. This report includes four species new to Ecuador (Plegadis ridgwayi, Cathartes burrovianus, Malacoptila mystacalis, Vireo gilvus), two species new to Galapagos (Calidris pugnax, Lar...

La Lista Roja es una herramienta para las instituciones de manejo y científicas para determinar las prioridades de conservación. La anterior versión fue realizada en 2002, en donde solo se incorporó 247 especies. La IUCN recomienda que la actualización se realice cada 5-10 años. Por lo tanto, la actualización de la Lista Roja de las Aves del Ecuado...

La Lista Roja es una herramienta para las instituciones de manejo y científicas para determinar las prioridades de conservación. La anterior versión fue realizada en 2002, en donde solo se incorporó 247 especies. La IUCN recomienda que la actualización se realice cada 5-10 años. Por lo tanto, la actualización de la Lista Roja de las Aves del Ecuado...

El recientemente descrito Autillo de Koepcke Megascops koepckeae se había registrado, hasta hace poco, únicamente en el norte y centro de los Andes de Perú. Presentamos los primeros registros de M. koepckeae en Ecuador, provenientes de la ciudad de Loja. Estos registros amplían su área de distribución conocida en al menos 90 km al norte del registr...

El recientemente descrito Autillo de Koepcke Megascops koepckeae, hasta hace poco considerado endémico de los Andes del norte y centro de Perú, fue reportado formalmente en Ecuador por primera vez en febrero de 2018. Todas las observaciones de la especie se localizan al interior de la hoya de Loja (2092-2285 m s.n.m.), en los Andes del sur del país...

We describe a new species of the genus Oreotrochilus from the southwestern Andes of Ecuador. The new species is most similar in adult male plumage to O. stolzmanni and O. chimborazo. However, male and female show unique combinations of plumage characters that are likely to act as social signals. Phylogenetic analyses based on mitochondrial DNA indi...

Neotropical bird records committees have been growing in numbers, remit and prominence in recent years. This feature-by members of those committees-explains how and why committees were established and encourages birders to submit their observations directly to committees as well as sharing through other means.

The breeding biology and natural history of Gray Tinamou (Tinamus tao) is poorly known. Camera traps and artificial feeding stations allowed us to study 2 nests and to observe courtship behavior at Copalinga Ecolodge, Zamora Chinchipe province, southeast Ecuador, between February and August 2014. Nests were shallow depressions in the leaf litter. O...

The diet of Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia punensis) was studied in four territories in the Jambelí archipelago, El Oro, southwestern Ecuador, from November 2015 to April 2016, collecting 182 pellets. Arthropods were the main prey group in frequency of occurrence (86.5%), followed by mammals (12%) and birds (1.5%), but mammals (Mus musculus and...

The Streaked Saltator, Saltator striatipectus, is an uncommon to common resident of open areas, cultivated land, gardens, and forest edges, with ten subspecies recognized from west Costa Rica through west Peru (Brewer 2016). Patterns of plumage variation, especially mantle color and streaking pattern below, are complex across subspecies and age cla...

Presentamos las memorias de la V Reunión Ecuatoriana de Ornitología (V REO), desarrollada en Zamora, en 11-14 Agosto 2016. La V REO contó con cinco charlas magistrales, un simposio sobre aves, café y cacao, 46 presentaciones orales y pósters, conversatorios sobre el Festival Mundial de las Aves, conteos navideños y Global Big Day, un taller de escr...

Red List of Bird of mainland Ecuador

Red List of the Birds of Galapagos, Ecuador

Existen pocos registros del Colagrís Alibandeado Xenerpestes minlosi en Ecuador, la mayoría en la provincia de Pichincha. En esta nota presentamos nuevos registros de distribución y los primeros datos de reproducción en Ecuador. La especie no se considera globalmente amenazada, pero la elevada tasa actual de pérdida de bosques en su pequeño rango d...

Habitat preferences and response to habitat conversion remain under-studied for many groups in the tropics, limiting our understanding of how environmental and anthropogenic factors may interact to shape patterns of diversity. To help fill this knowledge gap, we surveyed nocturnal birds such as owls, nightjars and potoos through auditory transect s...

Large-bodied frugivorous birds play an important role in dispersing large-sized seeds in Neotropical rain forests, thereby maintaining tree species richness and diversity. Conversion of contiguous forest land to forest fragments is thought to be driving population declines in large-bodied frugivores, but the mechanistic drivers of this decline rema...

Species richness of owls (Strigiformes) in Ecuador is remarkably high (28 species) despite its small territory (c. 280,000 km²). This diversity is not evenly distributed across mainland Ecuador, with higher species richness in tropical areas, humid forests, and pristine habitats. Only two species occur in the Galapagos Islands. Although there are n...

Presentamos nuevos registros de distribución de aves del Ecuador que han sido presentados al Comité Ecuatoriano de Registros Ornitológicos (CERO) entre abril 2014 y agosto 2015. Incluimos reportes de seis especies nuevas para Ecuador (Anas crecca, Thalassarche bulleri, Puffinus puffinus, Morus sp., Numenius americanus y Elaenia strepera), una espec...

Ecuador's territory harbors a unique set of species and ecosystems, many of them endemic to the countries' territory and subject to different sources of threat of anthropogenic origin. Despite national and subnational conservation strategies developed in Ecuador to conserve its biodiversity in the long run, including the National System of Protecte...

Some species benefit from anthropogenic ecosystem disturbance expanding their distribution ranges rapidly into altered areas. Given the current availability of anthropogenic landscapes in the Neotropic, it is important to document cases of species' range extensions to better understand the factors that influence their distribution. In this manuscri...

The Southern Pochard Netta erythrophthalma occurs in southern and eastern Africa, and in northern and eastern South America. It is widespread and common in Africa, where the population of the subspecies Netta e. brunnea is estimated at 30,000-70,000 individuals. Distribution of the nominate subspecies Netta e. erythrophthalma in South America is mo...

The Ecuadorian inter-Andean dry valleys are highly affected by human intervention. Currently, less than 5% of the original vegetation cover of these valleys remains on creeks and hillsides. Bosque Protector Jerusalem (1,110 ha), in the upper Guayllabamba River valley, protects the largest remnants of inter-Andean dry forest in Ecuador. Here, we pre...

Resúmenes de la IV Reunión Ecuatoriana de Ornitología

Bluish-fronted Jacamar Galbula cyanescens occurs south of the Amazon River from northern Peru and western Brazil south to northern Bolivia (Tobias et al. 2002). Its taxonomic status has been controversial, being treated as a subspecies of White-chinned Jacamar G. tombacea by some authors (Pinto 1938), and evidence for species rank is rather weak (R...

The Scrub Tanager (Tangara vitriolina) occurs in dry inter-Andean valleys of Colombia and northern Ecuador. Even though it thrives in human-made habitats, knowledge about its breeding biology is scarce, with no complete description of its nest. In this paper, I present a detailed description of its nest, eggs, and nestlings, including notes on its...

We summarize records of bird species submitted to the Committee for Ecuadorian Records in Ornithology (CERO) from July 2013 to March 2014. CERO compiles the official country checklist and updates it annually. We present four new country records (Amazonetta brasiliensis, Porzana albicollis, Haematopus ater, Chroicocephalus philadelphia), one new coun...

We summarize bird species records submitted to the Committee for Ecuadorian Records in Ornithology (CERO) from July 2013 to March 2014. CERO compiles Ecuador’s official country checklist and updates it annually. We present four new country records (Amazonetta brasiliensis, Porzana albicollis, Haematopus ater, Chroicocephalus Philadelphia), one new...

Pag. B24. Abstract, line 5: first voucher documentation for 10 species.Pag. B26. Figure 1 caption. Photo b) Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris at Micacocha (D. M. Brinkhuizen); photo c) A. collaris at La Segua (R. Ahlman).Pag. B26. Cinnamon Teal Anas cyanoptera was reported on 1 June 2003, not 1 January 2003.Pag. B28. Figure 3 caption. h) Grey-hooded...

The remote Nangaritza Valley of southeast Ecuador has high bird diversity, combining Amazonian birds with species typical of eastern Andean slopes and foothills, a small number of taxa endemic to the Cordillera del Cóndor region of southern Ecuador and northern Peru, as well as a few forms from the dry Marañón valley region. Here, we update and rev...

Two hundred years of Neotropical ornithology have resulted in comprehensive monographic guides and thousands of scientific papers. Nonetheless, information is not evenly distributed across the region. Replicating previous assessments of Neotropical ornithology, we performed searches at Zoological Record of publications on birds of Neotropical count...

Presentamos registros de especies de aves reportados por la comunidad ornitológica internacional y del Ecuador al Comité Ecuatoriano de Registros Ornitológicos (CERO). CERO compila la lista oficial del país y la actualiza anualmente. Presentamos nueve registros nuevos para el país (Anas acuta, Aythya collaris, Egretta rufescens, Coccycua pumila, Su...

La Identificación de Vacíos y Prioridades de Conservación (IVPC) es un análisis de planificación territorial espacialmente explícito cuyo objetivo es identificar áreas prioritarias de conservación basadas en el estado actual de la biodiversidad, su representatividad dentro del sistema de áreas protegidas, e información sobre variables que evalúan d...

We summarise records of bird species submitted to the Committee of Ecuadorian Records in Ornithology (CERO) by the Ecuado-rian and international ornithological community. CERO compiles the official country checklist and updates it annually. We present nine new country records (Anas acuta, Aythya collaris, Egretta rufescens, Coccycua pumila, Sublega...

Este manuscrito presenta información sobre el contenido estomacal de especimenes de buhos en los museos de Ecuador.

El conocimiento sobre las aves nocturnas del Ecuador, y del Neotrópico en general, es deficiente. Apenas se han documentado ciertos detalles de la historia natural de la mayoría de búhos (Strigidae); mientras, la distribución en este país de al menos 11 especies de las 28 existentes todavía no se comprende bien. Presentamos nuevos registros de dist...

Reportamos las primeras observaciones del Vireo Goliamarillo Vireo flavifrons en Ecuador, en base a tres registros separados, provenientes de las estribaciones andinas del noreste, estribaciones andinas noroccidentales y trópico húmedo noroccidental (febrero 2008, noviembre 2011, marzo 2012). El incremento en la intensidad del trabajo ornitológico...

We report the first confirmed evidence of a feral introduced population of Brotogeris versicolorus (Statius Müller, 1776) in Guayaquil city, Ecuador, as part of the World Parrot Count led by City Parrots. A total of 216 individuals were counted, at two places within the city, but no direct evidence of breeding was found. A previously unpublished ph...

Realizamos una revisión del estado del conocimiento y distribución de los 28 Strigiformes del Ecuador, para contribuir a un mejor entendimiento de su estado de conservación.

El modelamiento de los requerimientos ambientales de las especies basado en sistemas de información geográfica usando registros de ocurrencia conocidos puede proveer estimaciones de su distribución para evaluaciones de conservación cuando se carece de otros datos.

En Perú, Ecuador y Colombia está la mayor riqueza de Strigiformes en Sudamérica: 35 especies. De ellas, 28 viven en Ecuador. En el territorio continental hay mayor riqueza de especies en zonas tropicales (15), subtropicales (13) y andinas (9). En el trópico occidental hay 11 especies en total, ya que ninguna especie presente en el norte húmedo se r...

We present the results of nine ornithological expeditions aimed at documenting bird diversity in areas of Ecuador that remain relatively under- explored. The majority of new records were made along the western Andes, either in the central or the southern extensions of the outer slope, suggesting that several species may have more continuous dist...

The Royal Sunangel (Heliangelus regalis) is endemic to sandstone ridges in southeast Ecuador and northeast Peru. This hummingbird is currently considered endangered, although little has been published on its natural history, distribution, and conservation. We found H. regalis in three habitat types, but abundance was higher in stunted shrubland, at...

The current ranges of many tropical species of conservation concern are poorly known, yet this information is critical for assessing their conservation status against the IUCN Red List criteria and implementing species-level management. Antpittas in the genera Grallaria and Grallaricula are elusive, ground-foraging insectivores, highly susceptible...

Summary of the content of a compilation country by country of all IBAs existing in the Americas

Ecuadorian and Colombian ornithology has been dominated since its first years (1830-1920) by European and North American ornithologists. Since the publication of Frank M. Chapman studies in 1917 and 1926, die development of ornithology has been on die rise but, while in Ecuador national ornithologists only appeared late in the XX century (1970s), C...

We present records of seven species of tropical and subtropical distribution found in Quito and adjacent areas, between 1974 and 2006.We include migrants as well as non-migrant species whose presence in Quito is notable. Such unusual records might be related to high levels of deforestation within their natural ranges, incidental migratory routes, o...

The development of Ecuadorian ornithology has been relatively progressive since the publication of the first comprehensive work on that country's avifauna by F. M. Chapman in 1926. Even though current knowledge on Ecuadorian birds is superior to that of several other Neotropical countries, a detailed analysis of the information published until 2001...

Ecuadorian ornithology has been dominated from its beginning (1840-1930) by European and North American ornithologists, whose basic contribution to the knowledge of this country's avifauna has allowed the subsequent development of that science since the 1970s by Ecuadorian ornithologists. The contribution of Ecuadorian researchers has been steadily...

Ecological niche modeling (ENM) is an effective tool for providing innovative insights to questions in evolution, ecology and conservation. As environmental datasets accumulate, modelers need to evaluate the relative merit of different types of data for ENM. We used three alternative environmental data sets: climatic data, remote-sensing data (Norm...

Cotinga 21 (2004): 18–24 Field observations of 11 globally threatened and near-threatened species are summarised (nine of which are Tumbesian endemics), including some behavioural and ecological notes, as well as vocalisations and new sites for these species. Compiling new field information on these birds will aid the identification of new priority...

Even in well-studied countries, such as Ecuador, new distributional records and range extensions are regularly reported as unexplored or poorly known areas are surveyed (e.g. Krabbe 1992, Krabbe et al. 1997, Freile 2001a). In this note we present new records, as well as latitudinal and altitudinal range extensions for several species, taking Ridgel...

Long-wattled Umbrellabirds Cephalopteruspenduliger are restricted to the Chocó Biogeographical Region, an area with exceptional levels of avian diversity and endemism. Due to widespread habitat loss and hunting pressure, the species is considered globally Vulnerable and Endangered within Ecuador. Little is known of the species' basic biology. This...

Here we describe the first nesting records of the Moustached Antpitta (Grallaria alleni). We found two nests in sub-Andean forests in the Central Andes of Colombia at 1,800 m and in northwestern Ecuador at 1,900 m elevation during November 1995 and March 1999. Both nests were bulky structures with an open deep cup, made with moist plant material, i...

Resultados de un estudio poblacional y de uso de hábitat de estos secretivos búhos del bosque nublado occidental.

The montane cloud-forests of the north-central Andes and the montane grassland and transitional elfin forest of the central Andean páramo contain a high diversity of bird species including several restricted range and uncommon species. Little is known of how densities of Andean cloud-forest species are affected by habitat degradation. Bird densitie...

Kazakstan is an important country for migratory birds passing from Siberia to the north and east to their wintering grounds in Africa, the Middle East and India. Kazakstan also has globally important breeding populations of White-headed Duck and Sociable Plover. A survey of wetlands in northern and eastern Kazakstan was carried out July - September...