A Lost North American Traveler

On February 2nd, 2016 on a quick trip to Mindo, Zak and I spotted a bird silently foraging overhead just down the road from the entrance trail to the reserve. Fortunately for us, the bird was being quite conspicuous and we were able to quickly identify it, and knowing its rarity, snap some quick documentation photographs before watching it move out onto an exposed branch and fly over our heads.  Low and behold, a fellow traveler from the North, a Yellow-throated Vireo! We  spent some time trying to relocate the bird to no avail.

Ecuador’s 4th Yellow-throated Vireo, and the 1st for Pichincha Province. Photo by Zak Pohlen

According to the Ecuadorian Ornithological Records Committee (CERO), this bird represents the 4th ever recorded in Ecuador, and the 3rd with photo documentation. This is also the 1st record of Yellow-throated Vireo for the province of Pichincha. The first record in Ecuador came in 2008 in Napo province, with subsequent records in 2011, and 2012 in Esmeraldas and Imbabura provinces respectively. For more information on these sightings, feel free to visit Aves Ecuador.

A Yellow-throated Vireo banded in Michigan during its migration south. Photo by Zak Pohlen

Yellow-throated Vireos are uncommon breeders in the eastern United States and migrate south in the fall to spend their winters from southern Mexico and the Caribbean to northern Columbia, with few records south of Bogota.

Cheers,

Callie Gesmundo & Zak Pohlen