Please be patient, this site is still under construction. For now, here is a brief introduction to what we hope to accomplish with Proyecto Ecuador Nidícola..........

Purpose of Ecuador Nidícola: To compile all records of avian reproduction in continental Ecuador, published and unpublished.

Why did we create Ecuador Nidícola?

There are a large number of people interested in, and with a great appreciation for, nature and the environment. In particular, many people, from a diverse array of backgrounds, are fascinated by birds. These people spend countless hours in nature observing and appreciating these marvalous creatures. Despite this, much of our knowledge on birds remains unpublished an inaccessable to the general public as well as to scientists and conservationists. Fortunately, in the age of information dissemination via the world wide web, the sharing of this collective knowledge is becomming easier.

Ecuador is known as a diversity hot-spot, with more than 1600 species of birds recorded within its borders. Of these, more than 1400 are resident breeders, yet our understanding of even the the most basic aspects of their reproductive biology is in its infancy. As an example, more than a quarter of the birds breeding in Ecuador do not have a published description of their nest and eggs. There is not a single species breeding in Ecuador for which we have a broad understanding of the seasonal timing of reproduction at a country-wide scale.

With Ecuador Nidícola we hope to provide the impetus for the many bird-lovers out there to being sharing their collective knowledge with each other and with the scientific community. The purpose of this page is to give everyone quick access to a summary of the state-of-knowledge on the reproduccion of Ecuadorian birds at a species-by-species level, but with particular emphasis on the actual number of available breeding records in Ecuador. We hope this will foster a sense of collaboration between scientists and afficionados alike, and encourage people report nesting events they may encounter while working, living, and traveling in Ecuador.

What are the benefits to the individuals collaborating via Ecuador Nidícola?:

-All contributions will be directly acknowledged on this web page and users of the page will be provided with links to contributors' biographies and personal/professional websites.

-Scientists interested in using data gathered by this project will be provided with direct links to the contact information of the participants, which will foster collaborations between researchers as well as increase the involvement of non-professionals in active research projects and scientific articles.

-The contribution of breeding records will increase the public and scientific awarness of areas of importance in bird conservation and of individual projects or localities with active ornithological research.