Page 35 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #11
P. 35

COLOMBIA BIRDING

























































































                                                                        Itineraries around the Northern                 The PerijáMountains is one of
            Santa Marta parakeet, Santa Marta mountain                  Colombia Birding Trail vary, but            2 Colombia's least explored regions.
            tanager and Santa Marta foliage gleaner, I                  there are ive main birding zones:           Endemics include the Perijá tapaculo,
            wonder if prefixing any generic name with                                                                described in 2015, and Perijá metaltail.
            the words ‘Santa’ and ‘Marta’ might improve                     Sitting in the foothills of Santa
            my odds. The strategy pays off when we                      1 Marta, LosBesotesEcoPark was                  LosFlamencos comprises both
            spy the Santa Marta antpitta, and my Santa                  Colombia’s first Important Bird Area. 3 coastal wetland and dry forest. The
            Marta finch (it was actually the Santa Marta                 Glaucous tanager is a target species.       vermillion cardinal is a colourful spot,
            brushfinch) wasn’t a million miles off.                                                                  as are flocks of American flamingos.
              For a less-than-seasoned birder like                                                                  4 NationalPark make it popular
         Map illustration by Sara Mulvanny/agencyrush.com  tally exceeds 1,930 species (the British list            with tourists. The blue-billed curassow
                                                                                                                         The sandy beaches of Tayrona
            me, Colombia’s avian diversity can feel as
            punishing as it is magical. The country’s

                                                                                                                    inhabits the forested slopes inland.
            currently stands at 616), of which 82 – and
            counting – are endemic. Colombia has 21
                                                                                                                        The SantaMartaMountains
            types of cuckoo (we have one), 18 species of
                                                                                                                    5 are packed with birds. Endemics
            swift (yep, just the one), 43 woodpeckers to
            our three and 26 owls to our five. It has a
                                                                                                                    tanager and Santa Marta parakeet.
            plethora of parrots, parrotlets and parakeets,
                                                             Luis and Angel lead
            more hummingbirds than feels remotely
                                                             a birdwatching tour
                                                             in La Guajira.                                         include the Santa Marta mountain
            November 2018                                                                                                                  BBC Wildlife    35
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