Birding Factoids

1,770 species
in 67 families
(largest in the world)

60 endemics
27 speciality species
65 endangered species
including 27 endemics
3 week trip expectation -
300+ species

    Colombia
    Hotspots
CIA Travel AdvisoryChecklist of Colombian BirdsTours and GuidesEco-LodgesSpeciality BirdsMap and General Country Information
....
Help save the critically-endangered Yellow-eared Parrot. 
To find out how you can help, visit
The Yellow-eared Parrot Conservation Page.
Donations are always welcome!
...
Check out Robert Scanlon's Birds of Colombia website.
...
Colombia Specialities
Andean Condor - Colombia's National Bird - Photo by Steve Metz
Photo copyright Steve Metz
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Yellow-eared Parrot - ENDANGERED - Photo copyright Martin Reid
Photo copyright Proyecto
 Ognorhynchus/Bernabe Lopez-Lanus
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Bare-throated Tiger-Heron - Photo copyright Jean Coronel
Photo copyright Jean Coronel
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White-chinned Sapphire - Photo copyright Jan Hein Ribot
Photo copyright Jan Hein Ribot
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Spot-flanked Gallinule - Photo copyright Juan Tessara
Photo copyright Juan Tessara
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Yellow-tailed Oriole - Photo copyright Jean Coronel
Photo copyright Jean Coronel
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Orange-winged Parrot - Photo copyright Jan Hein Ribot
Photo copyright Jan Hein Ribot
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Southern Pochard - Photo copyright Centro de Estudos Ornitológicos
Photo copyright Centro de Estudos Ornitológicos
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Rufous-tailed Hummingbird - Photo copyright Jean Coronel
Photo copyright Jean Coronel
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Violet-tailed Sylph - Photo copyright Peter Jones
Photo copyright Peter Jones
     
    Explanation of icons....Purace Park, Columbia - no useable information available on 
      WWW
    ...
    ....Birding in Colombia - the country is a birder's dream; with the highest
      species count of any country in the World, currently 1753, it really is a must for any serious neotropical birder. Three Andean Cordilleras, two inter-Andean valleys, the Amazon, Orinoco, Santa Marta, Pacific and Caribbean coasts, and the rich Chocó biogeographical region make it one of the most diverse in South America. This is a site and information guide to birding in Colombia, with links to information on:
      • Laguna de Sonso
      • Ucumarí and Los Nevados
      • La Planada
      • Río Ñambi
      • Hato Viejo
      • Bosque Yotoco
      • Laguna de la Cocha
      • El 18
      ....Explanation of icons  Buenaventura (birding along Old Buenaventura Road)
      • San Cipriano
      • Pueblo Nuevo
      • La Boquilla
      • Tumaco
    ...
    ....Colombian Birding and Ornithological Hub - by Paul Salaman. 
      Lots of information about birding in Colombia.
    ...
    ....Birding (safely) in Colombia - by Jurgen Beckers. Colombia has the
      highest biodiversity in the world. It has also the most bird species. Unfortunately there is a civil war going on and nearly all parks are infested with guerilla and paramilitaries. Though a lot of areas are off limit to the birder, there are still a lot of very interesting sites, which can be safely visited. On this site you can find information about the different areas, what you can expect to see, where to sleep/eat and how to get there for a reasonable price.
    ...
    ....Amacayacu (National Park), River of the Hammocks - by Nelson H.
      Pinilla and Martha Lucía Prado. This park has more than 400 species of birds.
    ...
    ....Los Katíos National Park - Los Katíos is located in north-west 
      Colombia in the north of the Department of Chocó between the frontier with Panama and the west bank of the river Atrato. It also includes the swamps of Tumaradó to the east of this river and land between the Cacarica, Perancho and Peye rivers. Los Katíos forms a transfrontier protected area with Panama's Darién National Park and World Heritage Site. More than 450 species of bird (representing respectively 25% and 50% of the avifauna of Colombia and Panama) have been recorded within the park.
    ...
    ....Forest Wetlands of the Colombian Southern Amazon - In Colombia, 
      the region called Amazonia comprises nearly one fourth of the national territory. However, its inaccessibility prevented intense colonization until very recently and therefore vast areas still can be considered as pristine. 
    ...
    ....Biosphere Reserves in Colombia - map showing location of 
      biosphere reserves
    ...
    ....The Hummingbirds of Nariño, Colombia - by Paul G. W. Salaman
      and Luis A. Mazariegos H. from Cotinga 10, Autumn 1998. Neotropical Bird Club. 
    ...
    ....Cartagena Birding - a report of a day's birding in Cartegena from 
      a cruise ship by Arlene Ripley
    ...
    ....E-mail response from Tina to a visitor inquiring about Cartegena
    ...
    ....Columbia Tourism - in addition to a lot of information about 
      Colombia as a tourist destination, the following information was winnowed out about possible birding spots near Cartegena, Colombia.
      • Taking the Troncal del Caribe road to the west towards Barranquilla and driving a short way inland you reach the Flora and Fauna Sanctuary of the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta. It is the largest marsh lake in the country, rich in fauna and mangrove swamps, and is an excellent spot for bird watching.
      • The Turbaco Botanical Gardens are situated on the grounds of an old cotton plantation, 12 miles from Cartagena along the Troncal de Occidente road. It is a park which encloses a lush vegetation of immense hundred-year old trees and numerous species of fruits and flowers.
    ...
    ....An Ornithological Expedition to Nature Reserve, Cauca, 
      Colombia - September, 1997. Final Report February 1998.
    ...
    ....Birding Trip Colombia 1999 - by John Penhallurick. A report on 
      3 weeks with Birdquest in Colombia and 2 weeks in Ecuador on a private tour. I thought birders would be interested on the Colombia trip.We had no untoward events on the trip.  The organisers were very careful to stick to safe territory. Highlight bird of the trip was Colorful Puffleg, discovered by John Dunning in 1967, and since then probably seen by no more than have a dozen individuals, almost all Colombian.
    ...
    ....Trip report Colombia 1987 - by Erik A. Toorman. In the summer of 1987
      I spent nearly three weeks in the central Colombian Andes, where I attended a conference. There was little opportunity to do bird watching.  I was unlucky that I did not obtain in time my ordered copy of Hilty & Brown's "Guide to the Birds of Colombia", which was just published. I only managed to take a copy of Dunning's "South American Landbirds" with me. With no previous birding experience outside of Europe at the time, identification of birds was not always easy, and several birds remain unidentified. 
    ...
    ....Trip Report: Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia - 6 June – 5 August 1999. 
      By Samuel Hansson with Mathias Bergström. Mathias and I had only met once before, very briefly, when we decided to make this journey together. As Mathias only had 4 weeks of vacation to spare, I decided to continue on my own after he'd gone home. South America is fantastic and the birding unrivalled! As long as you keep yourself well informed about where it's safe to go and not, and as long as you use your common sense, you should be safer in Peru, Ecuador, Colombia or any other South American country than in many European or American cities.
    ...
    ....Trip Report: Central Colombia, April 2004 - by Jurgen Beckers of 
      Trogon Travels. The goal of the trip was to go for the endemics, but safety was of course the highest priority. We dropped some areas with good endemics for this reason. It must be said that every year participants are nervous for going to Colombia, but once they are here for a few days they feel very safe. Participants were all very good birders resulting in 17 endemics! and another 20 specialities!  A total of 398 species were seen in just a fortnight!

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Tours and Guides

See DISCLAIMER
>>>
birdingpal.com...>> A Birding Pal is not a paid guide, but someone who likes to help out of town visitors. You can become a Birding Pal today! Help someone to enjoy your local birding spots and find a pal to help you when you travel. Click here for Colombia Birding Pals, or join to be a Birding Pal!
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Black-fronted Nunbird - Photo copyright Greg Neise
Photo copyright Greg Neise
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Golden-hooded Tanager - Photo copyright Jean Coronel
Photo copyright Jean Coronel
    **..Colombia with Trogon Travels - Staying in 5 main areas, you will be
      amazed with what you will see: rare endemics that few people have ever seen and lots of species. In our Nov 2002 trip we found 12 highly endangered species. During our March 2003 even 26!! These areas are one of the best birding experiences worldwide !! I have never seen so. Even more interesting is the undisturbed areas to which you will go. Most tours are limited to max 6 people to give you an even better and more personalised service. 
    **..Columbia with Kolibri Expeditions - (March-April 2000) Departure date: 
      March 20, 2000. Tours are available for 2, 3 or 4 weeks. Colombia has more birds than any other country in the world, more than 1800 species. There is also an excellent field guide - the best on the continent. Yet, few people have been birding in Colombia. Colombia has a reputation of being extremely dangerous. While violence is indeed reality in many areas in Colombia, there are still many good sites which are completely safe. Safety is Kolibri Expeditions' highest concern in Colombia and no areas that are considered to be unsafe will be visited. Kolibri Expeditions is based in Lima, Peru. On all trips the focus is off the beaten track to give you all possible endemics and specialties of the particular area you are in. There is usually a bias on quality of unique birds rather than overall numbers. Then again, visiting areas where the endemics are, usually gives a large final overall list.

 

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Eco-Lodges

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Endemics and Specialities

in Colombia

Information on endemics and specialities is derived from Sibley & Monroe checklists and bird distribution lists in Thayer's Birder's Diary - Version 2.5, supplemented by material found in Where to Watch Birds in South America - by Nigel Wheatley. South American speciality birds, while not endemic, are those that can only be found in three or less countries of South America. Information on endangered birds is derived from the IUCN Red List, Birdlife International, and supporting data bases developed by Ian Patton, of Merlin Species Watcher.  The endemic, endangered and speciality birds may be uncommon, extremely rare vagrants, may be extirpated in the country now or may only be present in migration. However, documented sightings of each species noted below have been made in Colombia. 
Bogota Rail - ENDANGERED - Photo copyright Inés Elvira Lozano
Photo copyright Inés Elvira
Lozano

 
Endemics in Colombia
___ Antioquia Bristle-Tyrant
___ Apical Flycatcher
___ Apolinar's Wren
___ Baudo Oropendola
___ Bicolored Antpitta
___ Blossomcrown
___ Black Inca
___ Black-and-gold Tanager
___ Black-backed Thornbill
___ Blue-knobbed Curassow
___ Bogota Rail
___ Bogota Sunangel
___ Brown-banded Antpitta
___ Brown-breasted Parakeet
___ Brown-rumped Tapaculo
___ Cauca Guan
___ Chestnut Wood-Quail
___ Chestnut-bellied 
___ Flower-piercer
___ Chestnut-winged Chacalaca 
___ Chiribiquete Emerald
___ Choco Vireo
___ Colombian Grebe
___ Colorful Puffleg
___ Crested Ant-Tanager
___ Cundinamarca Antpitta
___ Dusky-headed Brush-Finch
___ Gold-ringed Tanager
___ Gorgeted Wood-Quail
___ Greyish Piculet
___ Indigo-winged Parrot
___ Mountain Grackle
___ Moustached Antpitta
___ Multicolored Tanager
___ Niceforo's Wren
___ Olive-headed Brush-Finch
___ Red-bellied Grackle
___ Rufous-fronted Parakeet
___ Rusty-headed Spinetail
___ Sapphire-bellied Hummingbird
___ Santa Marta Antpitta
___ Santa Marta Brush-Finch
___ Santa Marta Bush-Tyrant
___ Santa Marta 
___ Mountain-Tanager
___ Santa Marta Parakeet
___ Santa Marta Sabrewing
___ Santa Marta Tapaculo
___ Santa Marta Warbler
___ Santa Marta Woodstar
___ Santa Marta Wren
___ Silvery-throated Spinetail
___ Sooty Ant-Tanager
___ Sooty-capped Puffbird
___ Streak-capped Spinetail
___ Tolima Dove
___ Tumaco Seedeater
___ Turquoise Dacnis-Tanager
___ Velvet-fronted Euphonia
___ White-lored Warbler
___ White-mantled Barbet
___ White-tailed Starfrontlet
___ Yellow-crowned Redstart
Endangered Birds in Colombia
(endemics printed in bold italic)

Breeding Birds

 
___ Antioquia Bristle-Tyrant
___ Apolinar's Wren
___ Banded Ground-Cuckoo
___ Baudo Guan
___ Baudo Oropendola
___ Bicolored Antpitta
___ Bicolored Antvireo
___ Black Inca
___ Black Tinamou
___ Black-and-gold Tanager
___ Blue-knobbed Curassow
___ Bogota Rail
___ Bogota Sunangel
___ Brown Wood-Rail 
___ Brown-banded Antpitta
___ Brown-breasted Parakeet
___ Cauca Guan
___ Chestnut-bellied Cotinga
___ Chestnut-bellied Hummingbird
___ Choco Tinamou
___ Choco Vireo
___ Colorful Puffleg
___ Coppery-chested Jacamar
___ Cundinamarca Antpitta
___ Five-colored Barbet
___ Giant Antpitta
___ Gold-ringed Tanager
___ Golden-plumed Parakeet
___ Gorgeted Wood-Quail
___ Helmeted Curassow
___ Hooded Antpitta
___ Indigo-winged Parrot
___ Long-wattled Umbrellabird
___ Magdelena Tinamou
___ Masked Mountain-Tanager
___ Military Macaw
___ Moustached Antpitta
___ Multicolored Tanager
___ Niceforo's Wren
___ Ochraceous Attila
___ Olive-headed Brush-Finch
___ Plumbeous Forest-Falcon
___ Recurve-billed Bushbird
___ Red Siskin
___ Red-bellied Grackle
___ Rufous-fronted Parakeet
___ Rusty-faced Parrot
___ Santa Marta Bush-Tyrant
___ Santa Marta Parakeet
___ Sapphire-bellied
___ Hummingbird
___ Scarlet-breasted Dacnis
___ Speckled Antshrike
___ Speckled Rail
___ Spot-winged Parrotlet
___ St. Andrew Vireo
___ Tanager Finch
___ Tolima Dove
___ Tumaco Seedeater
___ Turquoise Dacnis
___ Turquoise-throated Puffleg
___ Wattled Curassow
___ White-chested Swift
___ White-mantled Barbet
___ Yellow-eared Parrot
___ Yellow-green Bush-Tanager

Other Speciality Birds in Colombia
(from Where to Watch Birds in South America - by Nigel Wheatley.)

___ Bearded Helmetcrest
___ Black Solitaire
___ Black-necked Red-Cotinga
___ Black-tipped Cotinga
___ Blue Cotinga
___ Bogota Rail
___ Chestnut-bellied Hummingbird
___ Golden-chested Tanager
___ Indigo-capped Hummingbird
___ Lanceolated Monklet
___ Long-wattled Umbrellabird
___ Masked Mountain-Tanager
___ Moss-backed Tanager
___ Nocturnal Curassow
___ Northern Screamer
___ Orange-breasted Fruiteater
___ Plumbeous Forest-Falcon
___ Russet-bellied Spinetail
___ Scarlet-and-white Tanager
___ Tanager Finch
___ Toucan Barbet
___ Turquoise-throated Puffleg
___ White-capped Tanager
___ White-chested Swift
___ White-eared Jacamar
___ White-faced Nunbird
___ White-tipped Quetzal

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