Chestnut-crowned Antpitta (Grallaria ruficapilla)

The Chestnut-crowned Antpitta (Grallaria ruficapilla) is a species of bird in the Grallariidae family. It is found in subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, usually at elevations of 1,900 to 3,100 m.  I wasn’t very familiar with antipttas before this trip but they sure are cute!

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These shy birds have a large range throughout the higher elevations in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.  At Rio Blanco Reserve in Colombia, they feed worms to the antpittas which gives a good chance to see this otherwise hard-to-get species.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT CHESTNUT-CROWNED ANTPITTAS

Wikipedia

Birdlife

Neotropical Birds

VIDEOS

These videos show the experience of birders watching antpittas being offered worms.  Worms are part of their normal diet and they don’t let you go too close to the birds.

 

The Avian Wonders Of Rio Blanco Reserve, Colombia

To organize a visit here, please see my review post.  Even if you aren’t spending the night, you still have to book a day visit with Aguas Manizales.  Now on to the birds!

HUMMINGBIRD FEEDERS

Always a nice variety of hummers hanging around!  I’m not sure which ones they are because I can’t match all their pictures but I found a few!

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Bronzy Inca

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Long-tailed Sylph

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BANANA FEEDERS

Masked Flowerpiercer

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Rufous-collared Sparrow

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Blue Winged Mountain Tanager img_5957 img_5959

ANTPITTA EXTRAVAGANZA

Albeiro has won the confidence of several different Antpittas which are usually shy birds and very hard to see.  He offers them worms (part of their usual diet) and in exchange birders get to see them up close!  Prior to this trip, I didn’t know much about Antpittas but now that I have seen a few, they are really cute birds and a real treat to see!

Chestnut-crowned Antpitta

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Worms are served!  It was like Dominoes for Antpittas!dscn3195 img_5986 img_5994 img_6025 img_6008 img_6030

Brown-banded Antpitta

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Antpitta observation areadscn3202

Slate-crowned Antpitta

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A couple of the Antpittas were too shy to come out in the open – dscn3215 dscn3216

FOREST BIRDS

In many cases the light was bad and all I got were silhouettes.  Here’s a few of my better shots.  My full eBird list is here.

Andean Motmot
 I saw a few of these beauties on the road between the reserve and the access road from town.

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Masked Trogon

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Crimson-mantled Woodpecker
 Not sure why this handsome bird was being so shy!

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Great Thrush

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Grass-green Tanager

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Russet-crowned Warbler

img_6115 img_6120 img_6123 Another Andean Motmot

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Golden-plumed Parakeets

This was an amazing experience we owe to the dedication of Albeiro.  We had already checked out of the lodge, moved to a hotel in Manizales and were out on the Paramo day trip with the driver he had organzed for us.  Close to noon as we were back in town after birding the Paramo, the driver got a call from Albeiro that the Golden-plumed Parakeets were hanging around the lodge!  We high-tailed it up to the lodge and there they were – in tree tops and playing with each other, so beautiful!  We were able to spend a good 20 minutes watching them before they all flew off in unison.  It was pretty cool how they circled the property a few time (making sure we got a good look?), then vanished into the forest.  A most fitting farewell to one of Colombia’s top birding reserves!

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