What are cloud forests? In general, they occur at higher elevations than what we typically think of as rain forest - literally In the Clouds. They are abundantly green and living in the "fog" of the clouds. Also known as tropical montane forests, the cloud forests of South America form along the western slope of the Andes Mountains. In Ecuador, they can be found north of Quito to south of Vilcabamba, near the border with Peru. There are numerous Cloud Forest Parks and Reserves in Ecuador. We visited the Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve, as well as the Alhambi Reserve with the primary focus on viewing the abundant species of hummingbirds. Some of those, as well as a few other bird species seen in January 2018, are shown below. This is not nearly a complete list of those seen - only those that I could take decent images of. In addition, I photographed a few of the plants in the area. The flora of South America is, at times, like viewing plants from a totally different world. And, I'm still working on identification of several of the plants included below. I am posting them on iNaturalist and am hopeful that I will get some assistance in this effort.
Ecuador Cloud Forest Hummingbirds
Buff-tailed Coronet
Buff-tailed Coronet
Green-crowned Brilliant
Green-crowned Brilliant
Collared Inca
Collared Inca
Speckled Hummingbird
White-necked Jacobin
White-necked Jacobin
Purple-throated Woodstar (female)
Andean Emerald
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Booted Racket-tail
Other Ecuador Cloud Forest Birds
Russet-crowned Warbler
Masked Flowerpiercer
Blue-winged Mountain Tanager
Smoke-coloured Pewee
White-lined Tanager
Female Flame-rumped Tanager
Ecuador Cloud Forest Plants
Possible: Iochroma fuchsioides - Red Iochroma
Kohleria affinis in the Gesneriaceae Family
Oxalis
Oxalis
Bomarea pardina
Possible: Burmeistera spp.
Possible: Chaetogastra spp.
Cipuropsis capituligera
Thunbergia alata
