Lelis Navarrete is one of the top birding guides in Ecuador, with tremendous experience and knowledge of Ecuadorian avifauna as well as the avifauna of neighboring countries. He is a native of Ecuador who is bilingual in English and Spanish and has been leading birding tours for over 15 years in Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. In 1997 Lelis co-discovered the Jocotoco Antpitta, a species new to science, together with John Moore and Robert Ridgely (co-author of the Birds of Ecuador). In 1998 he re-discovered the long lost Striated Antbird in Ecuador. In addition, Lelis has added several new species to the list of birds recorded in Ecuador plus one new species for Peru, and his observations have extended the known ranges of several additional bird species in Ecuador. Lelis was the first to tape record the vocalizations of several Ecuadoran birds, and he is currently participating in the publication of a series of CDs on the songs of the birds of Ecuador in conjunction with other renowned ornithologists. Since 1999 Lelis has been actively participating in the Jocotoco Foundation, which has successfully secured and protected the habitat and populations of several rare, endangered, and critically endangered bird species in Ecuador.
