Rio Silanche - Private Bird Watching Tours

Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary

At 300 to 350 MASL (984- 1148 ft) is a low altitude private cloud forest and bird sanctuary located 7 km off the main highway after Pedro Vicente Maldonado on kilometer 127. When driving on the main highway turn right at the blue house with a bus stop and go inland toward a rock mine. After a while you will have to take a left and then the next two rights. When you get to a long climb, then look on the left for the entrance. It has 80 hectare (200 acres) of primary and secondary recovering cloud forest. There is one main trail and a smaller loop trail which begin with at a 15 meter (50 feet) canopy observation tower. The trails are very easy with a wide open path cleared regularly for your safety and convenience. Be aware of snakes; we found a 2 meter long bushmaster crossing the main trail. This placed is owned and protected by the Mindo Cloud Forest Foundation in an effort to preserve the threaten forest in this internationally defined Important Bird Area (IBA).

This is a must visit place for the great variety of Chocó endemics that can be seen here such as the Purple-chested Hummingbird, the Chocó Trogon, the Double-banded Graytail, the Griscom’s Antwren, the Stub-tailed Antbird, the Black-tipped Cotinga, the Slate-throated Gnatcatcher, the Scarlet-breasted Dacnis, the Scarlet-and-white Tanager, and the Blue-whiskered Tanager.

For more information visit : www.mindocloudforest.org

Bird List Here: http://mindocloudforest.org/birdlists/rio_silanche_birdlist.pdf

BIRDS of Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary (MCF)

Plumbeous Kite	Double-toothed Kite	Loughing Falcon	Dusky Pigeon

Ruddy pigeon	Blue-headed Parrot	Bronze-winged Parrot	Purple-chested Hummingbird

Green-crowned Woodnymph	Collared Trogon	Rufous Motmot	Pale-mandibled Aracari

Choco Toucan	Guayaquil Woodpecker	Lineated Woodpecker	Golden-olive Woodpecker

Black-cheeked Woodpecker	Cinnamon Woodpecker	Red-rumped Woodpecker	Pacific Hornero

Streaked Xenops	Wedge-billed Woodcreeper	Streak-headed Woodcreeper	Spotted Woodcreeper

Plain-brown Woodcreeper	Spot-crowned Antvireo	Checker-throated Antwren	White-flanked Antwren

Dot-winged Antwren	Dot-winged Antwren	Purple-throated Fruitcrow	White-bearded Manakin

Brown-capped Tyrannulet	Slaty-capped Flycatcher	Golden-faced Tiranulet	Olive-striped Flycatcher

Ochre-bellied Flycatcher	Gray Eleina ?	Greenish Elaenia ?	Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant

Dusky-capped Flycatcher	Boat-billed Flycatcher	Social Flycatcher	Streaked Flycatcher

Cinnamon-Becard	Black-and-white Becard	Masked Tityra	Red-eye Vireo

Lesser Greenlet	Tropical Gnatcatcher	Slate-throated Gnatcatcher	Fasciated Wren

Swainsons Thrush	Ecuadorian Thrush	Southern Rough-winged Swallow	Orange-bellied Euphonia

Fulvous-vented Euphonia	Fulvous-vented Euphonia	White-Shouldered Tanager	Bay-headed Tanager

Rufous-winged Tanager	Guira Tanager	Dusky-faced Tanager	Blue-necked Tanager

Tawny-crested Tanager	Yellow-throated Bush-Tanager	Variable Seedeater	Black-striped Sparrow

Buff-throated Saltator	Black-winged Saltator	Clearwinged Butterfly	Becareful of Bushmaster