Euphonia Ecuador (1 Viewer)

Hi All,
I strongly believe this is a Thick-billed Euphonia seen together with Golden Tanager. However, I did not see any males at this location (Sachatamia Lodge, August last year). Plenty of Orange-bellied Euphonia around.

Can I have a confirmation or an alternative?

Niels

No comments for my poor Euphonia

Niels

Based solely on plate 85 (Tanagers II) of Ridgely & Greenfield, 2001, Vol. 2, your poor euphonia does not have the pale lores of the female Thick-billed Euphonia E. laniirostris, and looks more like a female Orange-crowned Euphonia E. saturata. But the text says that species only occurs in the western lowlands of Ecuador. Back to square one!

Thanks James,
that made me look around a bit more. The following emerged:
1) the bird I had photos of shows indistinct but likely pale grey in the green in the lore area. Possibly an immature?

2) Orange-crowned Euphonia is listed as going to 1600 m in Ecuador, while the lodge I was visiting is at 1700.

3) Most female Euphonias I saw there were clearly Orange-bellied, so different from both species under discussion.

4) I found a picture that while not the main bird in the photo must be a Thick-billed E male, attached. (the bird in the upper right corner, while the bird I really wanted to take a photo of was the Dusky Chlorophonia)

As such, I believe the female that started this thread also is most likely a thick-billed
Niels

Niels

Agree it's probably thick-billed based on grayish lores (photos on the Web suggest this can be much reduced to near invisible), bill shape, uniform unds. 1700 should be high for this sp as (e.g.) both birds of peru and Cornell neotropical website have it at <=1200. (don't have text of birds of Ecuador to hand).

TF

Ebird shows observations at places labeled e.g., 2003 m http://ebird.org/ebird/map/thbeup1?...mr=1-12&bmo=1&emo=12&yr=all&byr=1900&eyr=2016

Niels

The "Fieldbook" for Ecuador states upper limit as 2100 m

Niels