Endemic Animals of Colombia








Cotton-Top Tamarin
The Cotton-top tamarin (Saguinus oedipus) is a small New World monkey found in South America. Its name comes from the white hair that spans its head and flows down past the neck. When moving through their forest range, these small tamarins run along and jump between tree branches, using all of their four legs, which are almost the same size. All of their toes and fingers (except for halluces) are equipped with claws instead to nails, making ...
these tamarins excellent climbers, moving with a squirrel-like manner. Currently, Cotton-top tamarins are among the most endangered primates, found in South America.
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Cotton-Top Tamarin
Golden poison frog
The golden poison frog (Phyllobates terribilis ), also known as the golden dart frog or golden poison arrow frog, is a poison dart frog endemic to the rainforests of Colombia. The golden poison frog has become endangered due to habitat destruction within its naturally limited range. Despite its small size, this frog is likely the most poisonous animal on the planet.
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Golden poison frog
Red-Crested Tree-Rat
The Red-crested tree-rat (Santamartamys rufodorsalis) is a species of tree-rat found in South America. It is nocturnal and is believed to feed on plant matter. It is a very rare and poorly known small rodent known only from three specimens.
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Red-Crested Tree-Rat
Red-bellied grackle
The red-bellied grackle (Hypopyrrhus pyrohypogaster ) is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. Its genus, Hypopyrrhus, is monotypic.One of the grackles, it is endemic to Colombia where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. The species is threatened by habitat destruction and the International Union for Conservation of Nature considers it to be a "vulnerable species".
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Red-bellied grackle
Chiribiquete emerald
The Chiribiquete emerald (Chlorostilbon olivaresi ) is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae.It is endemic to southern Colombia.Chlorostilbon olivaresi was named after Fr. Antonio Olivares as a way to honor his contributions to Colombian ornithology and his persisting effort in building a bird collection for the Instituto de Ciencias Natural of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia.The most important source of nectar for C. olivares ...
is the low shrub Decagonocarpus cornutus.
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Chiribiquete emerald
Colombian mountain grackle
The Colombian mountain grackle (Macroagelaius subalaris ), is a species of bird in the family Icteridae.
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Colombian mountain grackle
Indigo-capped hummingbird
The indigo-capped hummingbird (Saucerottia cyanifrons ) is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae.It is currently found only in Colombia.
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Indigo-capped hummingbird
Fuertes's parrot
Fuertes's parrot (Hapalopsittaca fuertesi ), also known as the indigo-winged parrot, is a parrot which has a highly restricted range on the west slope of the Central Andes of Colombia. It is classified by the IUCN as being critically endangered. It is threatened by deforestation.
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Fuertes's parrot
Colombian chachalaca
The Colombian chachalaca (Ortalis columbiana ) is a species of bird in the family Cracidae. It is endemic to the forests and woodlands in the inter-Andean valleys in Colombia. Colombian Chachalacas are frugivorous and lead an arboreal lifestyle. The large seeds they disperse through defecation support the maintenance of diverse tropical forests.
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Colombian chachalaca
Dusky starfrontlet
The dusky starfrontlet (Coeligena orina ), also known as glittering starfrontlet, is an Endangered species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is endemic to a few small areas in western Colombia.
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Dusky starfrontlet
Cauca guan
The Cauca guan (Penelope perspicax ) is a bird in the chachalaca, guan and curassow family, Cracidae. It is a large guan, and like most guans leads a mostly arboreal life in humid forests, where it forages for fruit and leaves. The Cauca guan is endemic to Colombia's Cauca River valley.In Spanish the bird is called pava caucana.
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Cauca guan
Green-bearded helmetcrest
The green-bearded helmetcrest (Oxypogon guerinii ) is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is endemic to Colombia.
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Green-bearded helmetcrest
Black inca
The black inca (Coeligena prunellei ) is a species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is endemic to Colombia.
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Black inca
Santa Marta sabrewing
The Santa Marta sabrewing (Campylopterus phainopeplus ) is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found only in Colombia.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland, and plantations. It is threatened by habitat loss.
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Santa Marta sabrewing
White-mantled barbet
The white-mantled barbet (Capito hypoleucus ) is a species of bird in the family Capitonidae.It is endemic to Colombia.Its natural habitats are tropical moist montane forests, pastureland, and plantations. It is threatened by habitat loss.
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White-mantled barbet
Santa Marta warbler
The Santa Marta warbler (Myiothlypis basilica ) is a species of bird in the family Parulidae.It is endemic to the Santa Marta Mountains in Colombia.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and heavily degraded former forest.It is threatened by habitat loss.The Santa Marta warbler was formerly placed in the genus Basileuterus. It was moved to the genus Myiothlypis based on the results of a molecular phylogenetic ...
study published in 2012.
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Santa Marta warbler
Santa Marta woodstar
The Santa Marta woodstar (Chaetocercus astreans ) is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae.It is found only in Colombia.
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Santa Marta woodstar
Black-and-gold tanager
The black-and-gold tanager (Bangsia melanochlamys ) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae.It is endemic to Colombia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.It is threatened by habitat loss.
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Black-and-gold tanager
Gold-ringed tanager
The gold-ringed tanager (Bangsia aureocincta ) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae, endemic to Colombia. It is a plump, relatively short-tailed Tanager with a distinctive gold ring around its face. It inhabits a narrow band of high-altitude cloud forest on the slopes of the western cordillera of the Andes, where it survives on a diet of fruit and insects. The bird is found in small numbers within a limited geographical area, and much ...
of its breeding biology has yet to be described. It is considered a vulnerable species, threatened by habitat loss.
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Gold-ringed tanager
Santa Marta wren
The Santa Marta wren (Troglodytes monticola ) is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is endemic to Colombia.
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Santa Marta wren
Antioquia wren
The Antioquia wren (Thryophilus sernai ) is a passerine from the wren family (Troglodytidae). It was discovered in March 2010 in the vicinity of the Cauca River in Antioquia, Colombia and described as a new species by Lara et al (2012). The epithet commemorates the late Marco Antonio Serna Díaz (1936–1991), a Colombian naturalist from San Vicente Ferrer, Antioquia.The Antioquia wren is closely related to the rufous-and-white wren and the Ni ...
ceforo's wren. It occurs on both banks of the Cauca River Canyon but it is uncommon throughout its range. Its habitat is dry forests.Principal threats to the species include habitat destruction caused by the building of the Ituango Dam.
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Antioquia wren
Munchique wood wren
The Munchique wood wren (Henicorhina negreti ) is a member of the wren family (Troglodytidae) that was described as new to science in 2003. It is found in the Western Andes of Colombia.
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Munchique wood wren
Antioquia bristle tyrant
The Antioquia bristle tyrant (Pogonotriccus lanyoni ) is a species of passerine bird in the family Tyrannidae. It is endemic to Colombia. This species is sometimes placed in the genus Phylloscartes.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.The species is named in honor of Wesley E. Lanyon.
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Antioquia bristle tyrant
Tolima blossomcrown
The Tolima blossomcrown (Anthocephala berlepschi ) is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae and is endemic to Colombia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest between 1200 and 2300 m.a.s.l. in the eastern slopes of the central Andean mountain range. It is threatened by habitat loss.
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Tolima blossomcrown
Greyish piculet
The greyish piculet (Picumnus granadensis ) is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is endemic to Colombia.
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Greyish piculet
Santa Marta antpitta
The Santa Marta antpitta (Grallaria bangsi ) is a species of bird in the family Grallariidae. It is endemic to Colombia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. It is threatened by habitat loss.
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Santa Marta antpitta
Yellow-crowned whitestart
The yellow-crowned whitestart (Myioborus flavivertex ), Santa Marta whitestart or yellow-crowned redstart, is a species of bird in the family Parulidae. It is endemic to the highland forest and woodland in the Santa Marta Mountains in Colombia.
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Yellow-crowned whitestart
Yellow-eared parrot
The yellow-eared parrot (Ognorhynchus icterotis ) is an endangered parrot of the tropics in South America. It is found in the Andes of Colombia. This species was thought to be extinct up until April 1999, when a group of researchers that were sponsored by ABC and Fundación Loro Parque, discovered a total of 81 individuals in the Colombian Andes. It is currently enlisted as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) ...
Red List. Its current population trend is increasing, in part due to conservation measures implemented to protect the existing populations of the species. It is closely associated with the wax palm (Ceroxylon sp.).
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Yellow-eared parrot
Blue-billed curassow
The blue-billed curassow (Crax alberti ) is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is endemic to Colombia.
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Blue-billed curassow
Turquoise-winged parrotlet
The turquoise-winged parrotlet (Forpus spengeli ) is a species of parrot in the family Pscittacidae.
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Turquoise-winged parrotlet
Blue-bearded helmetcrest
The blue-bearded helmetcrest (Oxypogon cyanolaemus ) is a Critically Endangered species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta of northern Colombia.
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Blue-bearded helmetcrest
Buffy helmetcrest
The buffy helmetcrest (Oxypogon stuebelii ) is a Vulnerable species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is endemic to Colombia.
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Buffy helmetcrest
Santa Marta screech owl
The Santa Marta screech owl (Megascops gilesi ) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found only in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta of Colombia.
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Santa Marta screech owl
Santa Marta parakeet
The Santa Marta parakeet (Pyrrhura viridicata ) is a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae.It is endemic to Colombia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.It is threatened by habitat loss.
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Santa Marta parakeet
Beautiful woodpecker
The beautiful woodpecker (Melanerpes pulcher ) is a bird species in the woodpecker family (Picidae). It is endemic to Colombia.Until recently, it was united with the golden-naped woodpecker (M. chrysauchen ) of Central America as subspecies. But the different appearance and allopatric ranges argue in favor of recognizing the two as distinct species. According to "Birds of Northern South America" by Robin Restall the back is barred and the belly ...
and breast are white, but that appears to be in error based on photos of the birds in Colombia.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forest.
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Beautiful woodpecker
Multicoloured tanager
The multicoloured tanager (Chlorochrysa nitidissima ) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is endemic to the mountains of Colombia, and as of 2010 has been categorized as vulnerable (VU) by the IUCN.
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Multicoloured tanager
Gorgeted puffleg
The gorgeted puffleg (Eriocnemis isabellae ) is a Critically Endangered species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is endemic to Colombia. It was discovered in 2005 and confirmed as a species new to science in 2007.
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Gorgeted puffleg
Chestnut wood quail
The chestnut wood quail (Odontophorus hyperythrus ) is a bird species in the family Odontophoridae, the New World quail. It is found only in Colombia.
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Chestnut wood quail
Flame-rumped tanager
The flame-rumped tanager (Ramphocelus flammigerus ) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in semi-open forest and woodland.The most widespread subspecies, icteronotus, is found in the Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena in Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, and is sometimes considered a separate species, the lemon-rumped tanager (R. icteronotus ). However, it is known to hybridize with the nominate subspecies from the Cauca Valley in ...
Colombia.Males of both subspecies have a mainly black plumage and a narrowly black-tipped pale bluish bill. The rump of the male P. f. icteronotus is yellow, while it is red in P. f. flammigerus. In females, the head, wings and tail are blackish-brown and the underparts are mainly yellow. The rump is yellowish in the female P. f. icteronotus, while the rump, vent and chest are orange-red in P. f. flammigerus.
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Flame-rumped tanager
Flame-winged parakeet
The flame-winged parakeet (Pyrrhura calliptera ), also known as the brown-breasted parakeet, is a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae. It is endemic to forest edge and shrub at altitudes of 1,700–3,400 m (5,600–11,200 ft) above sea level on the east Andean slope in Colombia. It is threatened by habitat loss.
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Flame-winged parakeet
Sapphire-bellied hummingbird
The sapphire-bellied hummingbird (Chrysuronia lilliae ) is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae.
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Sapphire-bellied hummingbird
Colorful puffleg
The colorful puffleg (Eriocnemis mirabilis ) is an Endangered species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is endemic to Colombia.
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Colorful puffleg
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