THE CONTEST: Five questions below, one under each photo. Each had to do with one of our 2010 Peru tours.

THE WINNERS & PRIZES: We drew randomly from the correct submitted entries, and the winners are:

Congratulations, Magnus and Ernie! Each will receive a copy of the Birds of Peru field guide, autographed and co-authored by our own Dan Lane, along with a $250 credit toward any new or current booking on a 2010 Field Guides Peru tour.

AND SO, THE ANSWERS:

Answer #1: Well, of course, the Inca dynasty built the masterpiece of Machu Picchu in Peru, which we visit on our Machu Picchu & Abra Malaga tours. A glance through that tour's web page would quickly turn up Inca Wren, a bird we seek near the ruins and our correct answer. Named Thryothorus eisenmanii, it's in the same genus as Carolina Wren of North America but endemic to a small area in southern Peru. Here's a short recording by guide Rose Ann Rowlett of its attractive song in mp3 format, and check out this article to read more about the amazing vocal performances of one of its closest relatives.

Some other birds with Inca in their names: Inca Tern, from the cold Humboldt Current waters of Peru and Chile (rarely to Ecuador), Inca Dove from the sw US to Costa Rica, Collared Inca (a handsome hummer of the Andes from Venezuela to Bolivia), and Inca Flycatcher (endemic to Peru).

Answer #2: It is truly odd to reach "treeline" in the Andes, continue higher in altitude, and then again magically encounter trees. But such is the wondrous lifestyle of Polylepis, a high-altitude genus of flaky-barked trees in the family Rosaceae. Birders hoping not only to round out their lists but also to see some of the coolest or rarest passerines on the planet must visit groves of this sort in the high Andes, particularly from Ecuador to Bolivia, where Giant Conebill, Royal Cinclodes (s Peru and adjacent Bolivia), White-cheeked Cotinga (central Peru), and other Polylepis specialties live. Check out more about this threatened habitat and efforts to save it and the Royal Cinclodes in this American Bird Conservancy post.

Answer #3: Amazonian Parrotlet, of course (well, at least now it is!), seen on our Manu Wildlife Center tour -- and you can get it straight from the source in the book of the same name!

Answer #4: The spatuletail only occurs in northern Peru, and our scheduled features two tours to the area: Northern Peru: Endemics Galore (21 days) and Peru's Magnetic North: Spatuletails, Owlet Lodge & More (12 days).

Answer #5: It's revealed in the text of the web page for our Mountains of Manu tour -- Cinnamon-faced Tyrannulet. And we even have a nice image of this little bird, photographed by guide Dan Lane on one of our 2009 tours. It turns out that, though only discovered in recent years, the Cinnamon-faced Tyrannulet is actually quite easy to spot in some places.