This is another of the widespread Euphonia species of South America with populations in the northwest of South America but also a disjunct population in the Atlantic forest of Brazil. I had this rather bedraggled individual on my second trip to Colombia at Ukuku Lodge.
This is one of the most widespread Euphonia species of South America including most of the north end and a lot of the middle parts. I had this species in Brazil on my trip to the Pantanal and better looks on my second trip to Colombia at Ukuku Lodge which is where this photo was taken.
The Trinidad Euphonia is rare in Trinidad, but fairly common in Colombia and Venezuela. That being said, I only have this one distant photo from my first trip to Colombia.
The Velvet-fronted Euphonia is one of the three endemic Euphonia species in Colombia. This one was way up in the canopy and the photo is heavily cropped.
This species of Chlorophonia has a more restricted range compared to some of the other ones that live in the forests of South America. This one is mainly found on the Pacific slope of the Andes in Colombia and Ecuador. There is one small population that spills over into Panama. The ones I photographed were in Colombia on the Camino Montezuma.
This little gem has a highly disjunct range across much of the Andes in South America, but also large areas of Atlantic forest in Brazil. Our close encounters were at the fruit feeders of the El Dorado Lodge up in the Santa Marta mountains of Colombia.
This was one of only 2 endemic species I was targeting when Melissa and I took a vacation in the Azores. This was the easy one! These are all over the Azores and can be found in many habitats.
The Yellowish Pipit is a widespread Central and South American Pipit species of grasslands. There are 46 species in the Pipit genus, 9 of which are in South America.
This is a widespread species in Eurasia including southeast Asia but it has been introduced in several places outside its range including St. Louis in the United States where I photographed this one.
The Dunnock is an interesting bird of mostly Europe but it does have some populations that are migratory and expand east into Asia and south into North Africa. It is the most widespread of the Accentor family which is usually an alpine family. However, as evidenced from this photo taken in Hyde Park in London, the Dunnock will make a living even in urban parks.
This is another African species that has been introduced to various places around the world due to released from the pet trade. I need to get better pics of these and hopefully on their home turf, but this pic is from Puerto Rico where they have been naturalized.
The Tricolored Munia is a bird of the Indian Subcontinent but has been introduced to various countries and islands including Colombia which is where I saw this one. As if Colombia didn't have enough birds, they had to bring in some new ones.
Bronze Mannikin is an African species that has been introduced to various countries and islands including Puerto Rico which is where I saw this one on Christmas day!
The Village Weaver is an African species that has been introduced in several places including Caribbean islands like Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. The below bird was photographed in the Dominican Republic.
This is a Hispaniolan endemic and an ancient lineage of the Superfamily Bombycilloidea which includes Hawaiian Honeyeaters, Waxwings and Silky Flycatchers. They are one of the most common species in the Dominican Republic which is where I photographed these. In fact, they are the national bird of the DR.
This is one of 18 chats in the genus Saxicola, all of which are old world flycatcher species. I had both a female and male in my last trip to Europe in the south of France. Photos taken in the Camargue, France's largest river mouth delta.
This gorgeous and common bird is a year-round resident in most of Europe and then migratory in the more eastern and southern parts of its range in north Africa and Asia. It has been sorely misunderstood and previously grouped in with Turdus thrushes not to mention its name which implies a warbler. In fact it is an old world flycatcher and behaves more like a phoebe than a thrush or warbler. I have seen them a few times in Europe but it was not until my latest trip to the south of France where I properly crushed this one at a train station.
This is the largest of the thrush species in South America and is common at high elevations along the Andes from Venezuela down to Bolivia. Although I saw them on my first trip to Colombia, it was not until my second trip in 2024 where I was able to study them closely. We saw them throughout almost the entire trip.
I hate to post such a horrible photo of this species, but it is mainly found in the Santa Marta range in Colombia and in Venezuela so it is unlikely I will see one again any time soon. Although I loved Santa Marta, I have already picked up most of the endemics there. As for Venezuela, who knows when visiting that country will be safe for someone with a US passport, but probably not in the next 5 years.
This is a common thrush of the Colombian and Venezuelan highlands. We saw them in multiple locations on my second trip to Colombia including many confiding individuals visiting the suet and fruit feeders at Ukuku Lodge which is where this photo was taken.
This is a common thrush throughout southeast South America and the state bird of Sao Paulo. They are said to embody the "spirit of the Brazilian commoner". I am not sure what that means exactly but clearly the average Brazilian holds this bird and its songs dear to their hearts. These photos are from Pousada Aguape in the southern Pantanal.
This thrush of southeastern South America is similar to the Pale-breasted Thrush but has dark lores and less contrast between the head and mantle. They are fairly common and can be seen in city parks or gardens. My pictures are from the Pantanal in Brazil, but I also saw them in a city park in Sao Paulo.
The Song Thrush has a similar distribution to the Mistle Thrush across much of the Paleoarctic and North Africa. It also shares a tendency to inhabit city parks but is less likely to be caught out in the open on a grassy lawn like the Mistle Thrush. The Song Thrush looks like a more heavily spotted versions of one of our North American thrushes and it tends to stay in the forested parts of parks like this one photographed in Hyde Park, London.
This relatively common thrush of Europe, temperate Asia and North Africa is a year-round resident in much of its range in Europe but does have migratory populations in the east that move south for the winter. It is named for its favorite food which is Mistletoe berries but it does have a more varied diet including worms in city parks. This is why they can sometimes be seen out in the open on a grassy lawn like this one photographed in Hyde Park in London.
This solitaire can be found in Colombia and Ecuador in montane forests. We had ours on the Camino Montezuma at the Montezuma Rainforest Lodge in Colombia.
