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SANGAY NATIONAL PARK

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Area (ha):517,765
Altitude (m):800-5319
# Species:413
# Excl Vagrants:413
# Endemics:0
# Near Endemics:15
Species/100 ha:0.1
Habitat: Subtropical forest, temperate forest, cloud forest, paramo

ABOUT THE BIRDING

Sangay National Park is a little visited park located on the eastern slope of the Andes in Central Ecuador. Volcan Sangay is one of the most active in the world and regularly ejects volcanic rock and tephra. The park is visited by climbers and occasionally by hikers and birders. The road between Macas and Guamote is the main access into the park and roadside birding can be very good. It covers several altitudinal zones from subtropical woodlands through temperate forests to paramo. Over 400 species of birds have been recorded with the park. The park encompasses both the Central Andean Paramo and the Eastern Andes Endemic Bird Areas.

Among the range restricted species in the park are Spot-winged Parrotlet, Golden-plumed Parakeet, Purple-throated Sunangel, Little Woodstar, Coppery-chested Jacamar, Masked Mountain-Tanager, and Red-hooded Tanager. A small population of Andean Condors is present in the park. Condors are mainly seen in Cubillin but range widely and are possible anywhere at higher elevations. Hiking trails used by climbers into the Altar, Cubillin, Quilimas, and Tungurahua areas provide access to the main condor sites. A wide variety of other birds are present within various altitudinal zones, many of which are similar to those found in Papallacta Pass and the eastern Andes downslope from Papallacta.

LOCATION OF SITE

The northern section of Sangay National Park is located near Banos in central Ecuador. Banos is reached by driving south from Quito toward Ambato and then east on highway 50. The central section is reached from either Riobamba or Macas via the Guamote-Macas Road, a rough road across the center of the park.