Ecuador: Toucans and a Warbler (1 Viewer)

[opisska]

1 - Mindo: Could be Choco or Yellow-throated Toucan; the latter was formerly called Black-mandibled, but in Mindo, one would expect swainsonii, the ssp. with chestnut mandible. For this bird, the mandible looks quite black to me, but I am not sure if that is enough to clinch Choco.

2-4 - Panacocha and Limoncocha where both White-throated and Channel-billed Toucans occur. Freile&Restall tell me that I should look for a channelled bill in the later but I was not able to find out what that means ...

5 - Sumaco (not far from Pacto), a fun little Warbler that doesn't make much sense

 

[njlarsen]

If you in Mindo are 100 % sure the bill is black then it should be Choco as far as I know. However, voice is the best separator according to the field guides and the same is for the next pair you are asking about.

The last one looks like a Tyrannulet of some sort.

Niels

 

[Larry Sweetland]

YBottom one looks like a Golden-faced type Tyrannulet. Don't know which split or similar sp might be wherever your site is.

 

[opisska]

YBottom one looks like a Golden-faced type Tyrannulet. Don't know which split or similar sp might be wherever your site is.

Yes, Golden-faced it is. In my defense, the drawing in Freile&Restall is a little misleading, so I got stuck on it being a migrant warbler in the absence of other candidates.

 

[THE_FERN]

2-4 - Panacocha and Limoncocha where both White-throated and Channel-billed Toucans occur. Freile&Restall tell me that I should look for a channelled bill in the later but I was not able to find out what that means ...

5 - Sumaco (not far from Pacto), a fun little Warbler that doesn't make much sense

2-4 the "channel" is a groove which runs along the upper bill, close to the upper edge. Books say this is difficult to see, but I've found it OK in the field (sp. validated by voice). I don't see it in any of your photos.

 

[pbjosh]

I personally wouldn't have any faith in telling these toucans on the photos, but I've also never worried that much about visual IDs - they are readily distinguished by voice. Choco has a shorter bill than Yellow-throated, but it's hard to judge and I'd say impossible from that photo. I wouldn't use color from one photo to call it, personally.

Last photo is definitely Golden-faced Tyrannulet.

 

[opisska]

I personally wouldn't have any faith in telling these toucans on the photos, but I've also never worried that much about visual IDs - they are readily distinguished by voice. Choco has a shorter bill than Yellow-throated, but it's hard to judge and I'd say impossible from that photo. I wouldn't use color from one photo to call it, personally.

Last photo is definitely Golden-faced Tyrannulet.

But the bill is so clearly the same color than the darkest parts of the plumage. I will probably take it, with my experience with my photographic equipment. But I can see how it is questionable.

I keep hearing about the voice, but I don't know, I have seen these birds several times and never was there a sound that I would attribute clearly to them. The jungle is noisy!

 

[njlarsen]

I got Choco without even seeing it, I used an app to compare to.

Niels

 

[pbjosh]

As far as counting the Toucans or not, of course it's your choice! I find the bill size difficult to judge, personally, for Choco vs Yellow-throated, and for White-throated vs Channel-billed (and those latter two definitely can overlap with some sexual dimorphism coming into play). Your photo does make the bill look all dark but I've seen my share of "apparently very dark / black billed" toucans that then start croaking (Choco) instead of yelping (Yellow-throated). Light plays a large role it seems.

As far as voices go - the large toucans all fall into one of two voice categories - they bark (kind of frog like) or they yelp. You tend to hear both vocalizations a lot once your recognize them, and MOST areas will only have one barking toucan and one yelping. Of course there are some overlaps but throughout a lot of the neotropics you can hear toucans and only need to know what's in range to id/log them. Eventually you end up seeing them all vocalizing, but on any given day or on a short trip of course you might not. More typical is hearing them, then seeing them fly over, then hearing them again from where-ever they flew to, or something like that. Much like Hornbills. So voice ends up being used more as you hear them more than see them, and there are a couple of look-alike pairs.