 |
| Speckled Tanager Tangara guttata chrysophrys ©Trevor Hardaker http://www.hardaker.co.za |
 |
 |
|
World BirdingBritish BirdingMiscellany & FunBirdnewsTravelLibraryBird FamiliesOrnithologySight & SoundsEquipment/Supplies |
|
|
 |
 |
birding...
|
Birding Venezuela If you have never birded South America before I would start a three week trip in Los Llanos - the Orinoco basin which has overwhelming numbers of large birds such as storks, ibises and herons as well as many raptors. This is probably one of the most seductive types of birding one can do to get non-birding spouses into birding. There are many luxurious lodges that provide good services for birders. People on tight budgets may want to check out the areas near Mantecal, but if you can afford it the lodges are very good. Your first trip to S.A should also include the Andes of Merida. Birding is quite easy there. There are many good birding sites from Barinas to Merida via Santo Domingo, and an excellent mountain trail through cloud forest from Tabai just outside Merida. The trail is quite strenuous to do all in one day, so one may want to spend a couple of days here and even camp in the top area where some of the best Merida birds occur such as Rusty-faced Parrot and Slaty-backed Hemispingus. Other areas to include in west Venezuela is the endemic-rich Coro dessert and the coastal range of Henri Pittier National Park - also with many endemics. Henri Pittier NP has two bisecting roads that are both very good for birding. One of them takes you to the biological station of Rancho Grande. The birding from the veranda in mid-morning is exceptional and here you can get somewhat familiarised with the overwhelming diversity of neotropical birds and get to know many examples that represent typical South American families. Now after three weeks you are set for some advanced neo-tropical birding and you should turn your attention to the South East; here there are two principal areas. The first, Campamento Rio Grande, has become renowned for its stake-out of Harpy Eagle nests. There are some three-four nests in the area and there has been at least one active every year since this became widely known at the beginning of the nineties. Birding in general is very good, but it can be quite frustrating sometimes, with birds in mixed species flocks that you don´t get good looks at, as well as many unfamiliar calls. If you really want to see all the birds here it is a very good idea to employ a guide. Similarly the base of the Guyanan shield, at the bottom of the Escalera road, has rain-forest and some good trails which are also very species rich but difficult to work if you have little experience with calls in the Amazon. The escalera itself is quite straightforward and the number of accessible endemic birds is very high. |
Amazonas - Gavilán Road
Satellite ViewDue in part to lack of access, Venezuelan Amazonas is relatively little birded in comparison with the neighbouring countries of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil. The best-known lodge, Junglaven, is rather remote and costly to access, so it comes as a welcome surprise to find excellent Amazonian birding just a few kilometres south of the sleepy town of Puerto Ayacucho. I first accompanied Mary Lou Goodwin along this road several years ago and am certain that continued exploration will produce a very respectable bird list. Although the road has been heavily deforested and initially looks rather fruitless, perseverance pays off. The road gives access to a variety of Amazonian habitats including savannah, white sand scrub, moriche palm swamps and tall humid forests and it is a good idea to bird all habitats to ensure a good representative overview. Typical Amazonian groups are the bread-and-butter of this road: about 15 species of parrot, six toucans, four Celeus woodpeckers, plenty of woodcreepers, Furnariids and antbirds and a host of flycatchers and tanagers. The remaining chunks of primary forest are good places to listen for Rufous-winged Ground-Cuckoo; White-plumed and Rufous-throated Antbirds will be found at the same antswarms. Treetops should be scanned for Paradise Jacamar, Spangled and Pompadour Cotingas and White-browed Purpletuft. Moriche swamps hold the specialist Point-tailed Palmcreeper and Sulphury Flycatcher. Forested creeks have Long-billed Woodcreeper, Black-chinned Antbird and, with luck, Amazonian Black-Tyrant. Guianan Cock-of-the-Rocks are not uncommon and add a touch of colour. Good accommodation exists on the outskirts of Puerto Ayacucho and many more Amazonian species can be picked up at a variety of sites nearby.
Andes - La Mucuy and the Humboldt Trail
Satellite ViewThe Humboldt Trail is another of those must bird sites. This Andean trail is a wide, old Spanish pack-horse track which winds up from the ranger station at La Mucuy to the Pico Humboldt. Fortunately, the only users are hikers and birders with the occasional curious day-visitor, so that it is not uncommon to enjoy these marvellous cloud forests and their avian denizens in complete solitude. The trail begins at 2100m and can comfortably be birded to about 2700m in a morning – above that one can camp in order to access the high-altitude bamboo breaks and páramo. Often, the first species one encounters is Rufous-banded Owl in the La Mucuy car park itself. The recreation area provides excellent birding with Mérida Sunangel, Gorgeted Woodstar and Moustached Brush-Finch being typical. During the northern winter migrant warblers fill out the colourful subtropical mixed feeding flocks. Further up the trail Rose-headed Parakeet, Golden-headed Quetzal, Golden Starfrontlet, Mérida Tapaculo, Golden-breasted Fruiteater and White-fronted Whitestart are usually easy. Rusty-faced Parrots are a question of luck whilst the four species of Antpitta, including the endemic Grey-naped, require patience. Of the four Hemispingus, Grey-capped is common, whereas Slaty-backed is unreliable at the higher elevations. Excellent accommodation is available just a short drive from the trailhead.
Coastal Cordillera - Henri Pittier National Park
Satellite ViewCreated in 1937 in honour of a Swiss botanist, Henri Pittier National Park has acquired legendary status amongst Neotropical birders and today figures as an obligatory stop on any visitor`s itinerary. Although the park comprises just over 1000 square kilometres – half the size of the United Kingdom`s Snowdonia National Park – the list of species recorded tops 550 and includes several Venezuelan first records. Besides quantity, the park also provides quality in the form of a large number of rare and endemic species. The chief attraction is its lush cloud forest which harbours avian delights such as Venezuelan Wood-Quail, Band-tailed Guan, Helmeted Curassow, Groove-billed Toucanet, Guttulated Foliage-gleaner, White-streaked Antvireo, Scallop-breasted Antpitta, Scalloped Antthrush, Caracas Tapaculo, Venezuelan Bristle-Tyrant, Handsome Fruiteater and Rufous-cheeked Tanager. Raptors are particularly conspicuous and Black Hawk-Eagle, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle and Solitary Eagle are all considerably easier to encounter here than elsewhere within their wide range. The deciduous forests of the lower slopes are home to Black-backed Antshrike, Venezuelan Flycatcher and Golden-winged Sparrow while the coast holds Buffy Hummingbird, Bicoloured Conebill and Glaucous Tanager. In addition to its resident avifauna, the park is famous for the Portachuelo Pass, which is one of the most studied migratory routes in the Neotropics. Excellent accommodation at several strategic sites on the park borders makes this area a real pleasure to bird.
Llanos - Hato Piñero
Satellite ViewThe Venezuelan llanos, or 'flatlands', provide a wildlife spectacle on a par with anything else America has to offer and, indeed, have sometimes been referred to as America's East Africa. The llanos flood during the wet season and some regions become a vast lake. With the onset of the dry season, the waters drop and isolated creeks and pools begin to dry up, creating a feeding bonanza for caiman, anacondas, mammals and birds alike. Hato Piñero is a private cattle ranch nestling in the northern llanos and offering birding packages in comfortable accommodation. The draft list of birds found at the 800 square kilometre ranch currently stands at 300 and when you take your first ride in one of the open-top trucks, it's easy to believe that the total will eventually be much higher. Seven species of ibis can be found on a single excursion, herons and egrets abound, Yellow-knobbed Curassows are a traffic hazard and Sunbitterns are easier to view here than almost anywhere else. Besides its extensive wetlands, Hato Piñero also boasts one of the largest areas of intact deciduous forest in the entire llanos, a habitat which is home to White-fringed Antwren, White-throated Spadebill, Fuscous Flycatcher, Pale-tipped Inezia, Pale-eyed Pygmy-Tyrant and Trinidad Euphonia. Gallery forests hold Pale-headed Jacamar, Rusty-backed Spinetail and Orinocan Saltator while forest patches are good for Dwarf Cuckoo, Scarlet Macaw, Russet-throated Puffbird and White-bearded Flycatcher. Night excursions are a major attraction and typically produce Common and Great Potoos, Lesser Nighthawk, Pauraque and White-tailed Nightjar, though Nacunda Nighthawk and Striped Owl, Spectacled Owl and large cats are regular: Hato Piñero is one of the best places anywhere within its wide range to encounter a Jaguar.
Tepuis - La Escalera
Satellite ViewYet another, legendary birding name, La Escalera literally means the staircase and refers to a road which winds up from the Guayanan lowland forests onto the grassy plateau known as the Gran Sabana. The escarpment up which the road climbs is covered in a dense cloud forest which is home to most of the Pantepui endemics which are more typical of the foothill slopes of the table mountains (tepuis) proper; thus it gives easy access to real Pantepui birding. There are some at least 38 Pantepui endemics (more study is certain to reveal further endemics); many of which are only found in Venezuela and most of which are far more easily seen here than anywhere else. Easily found along the forested roadside are Fiery-shouldered Parakeet, Rufous-breasted Sabrewing, Peacock Coquette, Velvet-browed Brilliant, Scarlet-horned Manakin, Scarlet-horned Manakin, Orange-bellied Manakin, Tepui Brush-Finch, Tepui Whitestart and Tepui Mountain-Grackle. An eye overhead will usually be rewarded with Tepui Swifts and the rather less reliable Tepui Parrotlet. More challenging still are skulkers like Tepui Tinamou, Tepui Antpitta and Flutist Wren. The beginning of the Gran Sabana is the place to look for Tepui Goldenthroat as well as Russet-crowned Crake and Tawny-headed Swallow and rarities like Giant Snipe and Bearded Tachuri. In the dry season the forested slopes and sandstone cliffs echo to the ethereal songs of White and Bearded Bellbirds. In addition, more world-class birding is to be had in the lowlands at the foot of La Escalera. Excellent accommodation is available five minutes from the base of La Escalera.
Chris Sharpe
Bird Venezuela
(Contributor of Top Sites)
sharpebirder AT gmail.com
Gunnar Engblom
Kolibri Expeditions
kolibriexp@telefonica.net.pehttp://www.kolibriexpeditions.com
Number of bird species: 1383
National Bird: Troupial Icterus icterus
National Bird: Troupial Icterus icterus
Number of endemics: 42
Passerines Maracaibo Tody-Flycatcher Todirostrum viridanum Great Elaenia Elaenia dayi Venezuelan Bristle-Tyrant Phylloscartes venezuelanus Black-fronted Tyrannulet Phylloscartes nigrifrons Chapman`s Tyrannulet Phylloscartes chapmani White-bearded Flycatcher Phelpsia inornata Handsome Fruiteater Pipreola formosa Ochre-browed Thistletail Schizoeaca coryi Black-throated Spinetail Synallaxis castanea Orinoco Softtail Thripophaga cherriei White-throated Barbtail Premnoplex tatei Guttulated Foliage-gleaner Syndactyla guttulata Great Antpitta Grallaria excelsa Tachira Antpitta Grallaria chthonia Grey-naped Antpitta Grallaria griseonucha Scallop-breasted Antpitta Grallaricula loricata Caracas Tapaculo Scytalopus caracae Merida Wren Cistothorus meridae Yellow-faced Redstart Myioborus pariae White-faced Redstart Myioborus albifacies Saffron-breasted Redstart Myioborus cardonai White-fronted Redstart Myioborus albifrons Grey-headed Warbler Basileuterus griseiceps Grey-capped Hemispingus Hemispingus reyi Slaty-backed Hemispingus Hemispingus goeringi Rufous-cheeked Tanager Tangara rufigenis Duida Grass-Finch Emberizoides duidae Venezuelan Flower-piercer Diglossa venezuelensis Merida Flower-piercer Diglossa gloriosa
Non-passerines
Tepui Tinamou Crypturellus ptaritepui Venezuelan Wood-Quail Odontophorus columbianus Groove-billed Toucanet Aulacorhynchus sulcatus Red-eared Parakeet Pyrrhura hoematotis Rose-headed Parakeet Pyrrhura rhodocephala Green-tailed Emerald Chlorostilbon alice Tachira Emerald Amazilia distans Scissor-tailed Hummingbird Hylonympha macrocerca Violet-chested Hummingbird Sternoclyta cyanopectus Merida Sunangel Heliangelus spencei Roraiman Nightjar Caprimulgus whitelyi Rusty-flanked Crake Laterallus levraudi Plain-flanked Rail Rallus wetmorei
Passerines Maracaibo Tody-Flycatcher Todirostrum viridanum Great Elaenia Elaenia dayi Venezuelan Bristle-Tyrant Phylloscartes venezuelanus Black-fronted Tyrannulet Phylloscartes nigrifrons Chapman`s Tyrannulet Phylloscartes chapmani White-bearded Flycatcher Phelpsia inornata Handsome Fruiteater Pipreola formosa Ochre-browed Thistletail Schizoeaca coryi Black-throated Spinetail Synallaxis castanea Orinoco Softtail Thripophaga cherriei White-throated Barbtail Premnoplex tatei Guttulated Foliage-gleaner Syndactyla guttulata Great Antpitta Grallaria excelsa Tachira Antpitta Grallaria chthonia Grey-naped Antpitta Grallaria griseonucha Scallop-breasted Antpitta Grallaricula loricata Caracas Tapaculo Scytalopus caracae Merida Wren Cistothorus meridae Yellow-faced Redstart Myioborus pariae White-faced Redstart Myioborus albifacies Saffron-breasted Redstart Myioborus cardonai White-fronted Redstart Myioborus albifrons Grey-headed Warbler Basileuterus griseiceps Grey-capped Hemispingus Hemispingus reyi Slaty-backed Hemispingus Hemispingus goeringi Rufous-cheeked Tanager Tangara rufigenis Duida Grass-Finch Emberizoides duidae Venezuelan Flower-piercer Diglossa venezuelensis Merida Flower-piercer Diglossa gloriosa
Non-passerines
Tepui Tinamou Crypturellus ptaritepui Venezuelan Wood-Quail Odontophorus columbianus Groove-billed Toucanet Aulacorhynchus sulcatus Red-eared Parakeet Pyrrhura hoematotis Rose-headed Parakeet Pyrrhura rhodocephala Green-tailed Emerald Chlorostilbon alice Tachira Emerald Amazilia distans Scissor-tailed Hummingbird Hylonympha macrocerca Violet-chested Hummingbird Sternoclyta cyanopectus Merida Sunangel Heliangelus spencei Roraiman Nightjar Caprimulgus whitelyi Rusty-flanked Crake Laterallus levraudi Plain-flanked Rail Rallus wetmorei
200 Venezuelan Birds CD-ROM
Carlo Ferraro CD-ROM. Carlo FerraroISBN: 9800767754
Buy this book from NHBS.com
A Birders Field Checklist of the Birds of Venezuela
D Sargeant 31 pages, tabs. 1994ISBN: 41902
Buy this book from NHBS.com
Birding Venezuela 1995
Bruce C Forrester 35 pages, illus. 1995ISBN: 55274
Buy this book from NHBS.com
Birds of Venezuela
MP3 Sound Collection Peter Boesman 8 hours of playing time. Birdsounds Netherlands 2006ISBN: 160527
Buy this book from NHBS.com
Birds of Venezuela
By Steven Hilty illustrated by John A. Gwynne & Guy Tudor Christopher Helm 2003ISBN: 0713664185
Buy this book from NHBS.com
Site Guides: Venezuela
A Guide to the Best Birding Locations Dennis W Rogers 48 pages, maps. Cinclus 1993ISBN: 0963776509
Buy this book from NHBS.com
The Birds of Cerro de la Neblina, Territorio Federal Amazonas, Venezuela
DE Willard et al Series: FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY 65 80 pages, b/w photos, tabs, maps. Field Museum of Natural History 1991ISBN: 38551
Buy this book from NHBS.com
The Birds of Junglaven, Venezuela
D Sargeant 35 pages 1994ISBN: 41912
Buy this book from NHBS.com
Venezuela, Paradise of Birds
C Ferraro and M Lentino Series: VENEZUELA, PARADISE OF BIRDS 243 pages, 213 col photos, maps. Armitano Editores 1994ISBN: 9802161179
Buy this book from NHBS.com
Where to Watch Birds in South America
Nigel Wheatley Paperback - 336 pages (27 October, 1994) Christopher HelmISBN: 0713639091
Buy this book from NHBS.com
Fundacion Grupo Ecologico Bolivar - GREBO
Fundacion Grupo Ecologico Bolivar - GREBO
Apdo. 527, UDO La Sabanita, Ciudad Bolivar, VENEZUELA Tel: 58 854 0361 Fax: 58 854 0361 Email: luisalva@telcel.net.ve
Sociedad Conservacionista de Venezuela
mailto:WebsiteSociedad Conservacionista de Venezuela
President: Clemencia Rodner, Apartado 80450, Caracas, DF 1080-A, Venezuela Tel: 58/212-992-28-12 Fax: 58/212-991-07-16 EMail: presidencia@audubondevenezuela.org
Venezuelan Audubon Society
WebsiteApartado No. 80450, Caracas 1080-A. +58 2 9922812 mailto:audubon@cantv.net
The Society operates a shop in Caracas, offering books and publications on Venezuelan animals, birds, and plants, as well as maps and guide books to the several ecological regions. A knowledgable staff can answer questions about Venezuela and its National Parks and Preserves...
La Mucuy Bird Observatory
Satellite ViewLocated in the Mérida Mountains, Sierra Nevada National Park, Venezuela - Although Venezuela is not widely recognized as an important place for Neotropical migrant birds, its importance appears to be underestimated...
Cerro El Copey National Park
WebsiteSatellite View
It is strange that a park of such importance as a refuge for endemic and threatened species should not be studied more thoroughly, especially with respects to biodiversity inventories of invertebrates and other taxa...
Estacion Biologica El Frio
WebsiteSatellite View
The biological station and visitor facilities are located in the heart of El Frío ranch, about 90 miles west of San Fernando de Apure, in Apure state, Venezuela. Located on both sides of the San Fernando-Mantecal road, El Frío encompasses about 200,000 acres. The site is a functioning cattle ranch, which supports 45,000 head of cattle and 1,000 horses. Combining its cattle raising activity with research and ecotourism, Hato El Frío represents one of the best examples of the ecosystems of the flooded llanos. Beyond the ubiquitous spectacled caimans and capybaras, the ranch is home to large flocks of herons, ibises, and storks that congregate around watering holes. El Frío is actively involved in conservation issues, serving as a breeding station for rare Orinoco crocodiles.
Hato Pinero Wildlife Reserve
WebsiteSatellite View
Hato Piñero, por decisión de la familia Branger Sagarzazu, fue destinado hace ya casi 50 años a convertirse en un ejemplo único de desarrollo agropecuario, mediante la utilización de las más avanzadas técnicas y prácticas de mejoras, tanto agrícolas como pecuarias; conservando la naturaleza en su estado natural, generando un invaluable patrimonio tanto para beneficio de los venezolanos como para la humanidad...
Henri Pittier National Park
WebsiteSatellite View
This is the country's oldest park, originally created in 1937 as Rancho Grande, and renamed in 1953 in honor of the prestigious Swiss geographer, botanist and ethnologist who arrived in Venezuela in 1917 and classified more than 30,000 plants in the country. Henri Francois Pittier has the honor of having started the history of National Parks in Venezuela.
Los Llanos Wildlife Reserve
WebsiteMore than 400 species of birds speckle the grasslands with white, crimson, yellow, blue, orange and black. Scarlet Ibis, chestnut-fronted Macaws, Jabiru Storks, black-collared Hawks, as well as the prehistoric-looking Hoatzin, call it their home. The Llanos also shelter a wide array of other animals such as giant anteaters, wild horses, armadillos, iguanas, tortoises, red howler and capuchin monkeys...
National Parks - by State
Websitea page for each...
Yacambú National Park
WebsiteSatellite View
Yacambú National Park is in the state of Lara, on the southern slope of the Portuguesa Cordillera, which is part of the northern Andes range. The park was created in 1962 to protect the watershed of the Yacambú River, whose waters will feed the José María Ochoa Pilé reservoir once dam construction is complete...
This section sponsored by: 
1994 [June] - Jan Vermeulen
ReportThe main objective of the trip was to see as many birds as possible and as many of the accessible tepui endemics as possible. We had a very limited time for birding. Inevitably, it was a rush and more time could have been spent everywhere, especially at Caño Colorado in Monagas...
1994 [March] - John van der Woude - Rancho Grande, Llanos, Andes
ReportAs part of a holiday based on Curacao, we made a private birdwatching trip to Venezuela from 28 February to 11 March 1994. The general outline of the trip was the following: first a few days at the Rancho Grande biological station in Henri Pittier National Park (in the northern coastal cordillera, photo below); then a few days at Hato El Frio in the Llanos (the river plains between the coastal cordillera and the Andes); then up through the Santo Domingo valley into the Andes, up to Tachira...
1995 [March] - John van der Woude - Bolivar State
ReportLike in 1994, we had a marvellous birding trip to Venezuela. This year we went to Bolivar state only, which is SE of the Orinoco. Avifaunistically, this area has as well elements from the northern part of Venezuela (N of the Orinoco); as from the broad Amazonian/Guyanan region Distinctive bird groups, which we saw at many places, comprise parrots & macaws, jacamars, manakins, toucans, trogons, piha`s, bellbirds, etc, so we are in the real Neotropics...
1997 [January] - John van der Woude - Junglaven Amazonas
ReportAfter a few days in the Henri Pittier National Park in the coastal cordillera, we stayed nine days in the Junglaven camp in the Ventuari basin in the Amazonas jungle. Dazzled by all the birds seen at Junglaven we still managed to observe other birds at the surroundings of Finca Campo Lindo in SE Falcon (Northern Venezuela). We also did some birding in the Litoral East of Caracas airport. Below, after the logistics we describe the birding sites and give an annotated species list...
1998 [January] - John van der Woude - NE and NW
ReportOur 4th private birding trip to Venezuela had three aims. First, in this El Niño winter the weather in Venezuela should be better than in Ecuador or Peru, the original options for this winter. Second, we wanted to fill two gaps in our Venezuela travels (only to discover more gaps). Third, we wanted to try out a trip in a South American country without hiring a car, although on the last five days we did hire a car because of a sprained ankle. Some conclusions on this theme of birding here by public transport will follow at the end of the report. Photo right is from Rio Frio valley in Maracaibo basin, at foot of Andes...
2000 [February] - Francis Toldi and Peter Metropulos
ReportThe basic outline of the trip was to fly from San Francisco to Caracas via Dallas, spend one night in Caracas then fly the next day up to Merida in the Andes. We spent one night at the Hotel Belensate in Merida, then two more nights at Los Frailes above Santo Domingo while exploring various Andean habitats...
2000 [July] - Roger Ahlman
ReportGoing to such a big and bird-rich country as Venezuela for just two weeks is of course not enough and therefore we decided to concentrate on the Bolívar province in the southeast, with just skimming the cream of some of the other sites more or less en route. The main targets were the Escalera Road and the surrounding forests and the Harpy Eagle near Rio Grande...
2000 [May] - Amazilia
ReportThis trip had been originally scheduled through Caligo Ventures for the first week in April to coincide with the bird banding operations at Henri Pittier N.P., since our group was a local group of banders and banding assistants. We found out when we arrived that the banding is conducted in March and October so we would be treated to a special demonstration. We couldn`t get enough participants for the first week in April, so we had to reschedule...
2001 [February] - John Hornbuckle
ReportThe tour was all overland, except Junglaven, in a minibus, with driver, and a Spanish-speaking organiser (euphemistically called a birder-guide); booked through the Internet.
2001 [March] - Dave Klauber
ReportFrom February 7 through March 29 I spent seven weeks birding in Venezuela, visiting most parts of the country except Amazonas and the upper Orinoco...
2002 [December] David Van den Schoor - Eastern Venezuela
ReportOur main aim was to see as many birds as possible and as many of the accessible tepui endemic as possible. Because of its large oil supplies, Venezuela is one of the most modern and stable Latin America countries, with good roads, good accommodations, and some excellent dining...
2002 [February] - Mark Lockwood
Report...the birding was excellent. The Avila is in the Costal Cordillera that separates Caracas from the Caribbean. The lower north slope is dry scrub, but there is excellent cloud forest in the range. Highlights included the following endemics: Blood-eared Parakeet, Groove-billed Toucanet, Black-throated Spinetail, Caracas Tapaculo (actually seen); and Golden-breasted Fruiteater. We also saw Spangled Coquette, Rufous-shafted Woodstar, Scalloped Antthrush, and Ochre-breasted Brush-Finch. We did hear two White-tipped Quetzals, but could not see them. We saw 71 species and heard eight others...
2003 [August] Joe Thompson - North & Northwest
ReportThis trip focused on Venezuelan (VE) endemics and what we came to call Functional Endemics that only occur in VE and in inaccessible (due to guerilla activity) parts of NE Colombia. Since the 2 segments of the trip were rather different, logistics will be mentioned separately...
2004 [November] - Jan Vermeulen
Report...Venezuela is currently one of the most accessible countries of South America and holds a good proportion of the region's avifauna. Venezuela has everything a birder could want: a rich avifauna, a well-illustrated new guide, ample and diverse habitats and modern facilities. Venezuela is one of the countries with most bird species on Earth. Over 1380 species have been recorded making Venezuela the world’s sixth most bird species rich nation. Of these, 49 are found only in Venezuela and a further 117 have most of their distribution within Venezuela...
2004 [September] - Gruff Dodd
ReportWe had originally intended to visit Venezuela in July 2003, but civic unrest resulting in a UK government advice warning not to travel meant we had to cancel our plans. By then, however, we had made contact with David Ascanio of Birding in Venezuela, agreed costs and received a draft itinerary, so when we decided to make another attempt...
2005 [July] - Dave Lowe & Richard Rae
ReportThis is a report on a birding trip we made to Venezuela, focusing mainly on sites in the east of the country but also a couple of key sites in the northern coastal cordillera. The trip was partially guided, interspersed with birding on our own, the itinerary being put together for us by David Ascanio...
2005 [June] - Ron Hoff
Report...There was no sign of the fruiteater. Some of the birds we had along this stretch were White Hawk, Peacock Coquette (females only), Velvet-browed Brilliant, Golden-spangled Piculet (seen by David only), Tepui Spinetail, Roraiman Antwren, Tepui Antpitta (great look not far from the Sierra de Lema checkpoint), Lema’s Flycatcher (a possible split from McConnell’s Flycatcher), Black-fronted Tyrannulet (E), Ruddy Tody-Flycatcher, Bearded and White Bellbirds, Olive, Scarlet-horned (female only), and Orange-bellied Manakins, Olive-backed Tanager, Tepui Brush-Finch, and Golden-tufted Mountain-Grackle...
2005 [March] - Alan Miller - Isla de Margarita
Report...A wonderful first encounter with South American birds seeing Buffy Hummingbird, Vermilion Cardinal, Yellow Oriole, Tropical Mockingbird, Tropical Knatcatcher, Magnificent Frigatebird and many more species from our hotel room...
2005 [May] - Stephen Ross
ReportPdf - Roraima-tepui
2006 [April] - David Ascanio
ReportPdf - El Avila National Park...
2006 [April] - Mark & Sandra Dennis
ReportIn need of a week’s break we plumped for the limited avian delights of Isla Margarita, Venezuela and were pleasantly surprised by the island’s overall attractiveness, the variety of habitats and relative abundance of other wildlife, especially butterflies. The island lies c14km off north-east Venezuela and comprises desert scrub, lagoons of various quality, sea coasts and some slightly higher elevation birding in a rather pleasant if restricted national park...
2006 [February] - Mark Van Beirs
Report... It was a truly amazing trip with a splendid selection of tour highlights, including a formidable, awesome and almost terrifying adult Harpy Eagle at close range, a flock of Grey-winged Trumpeters posing for us on a forest track, Red-fan Parrots showing off their ridiculous crests, the extraordinary spectacle of the Oilbirds at the cave from which they were first described, a gorgeous male Peacock Coquette...
2006 [March] - David Ascanio
ReportPDF - Hato Piñero, Cojedes
2007 [March] - Didier Godreau
ReportThis report covers a trip of 8 days in Venezuela, lats march 2007, and fully organised by local company lead by Chris Sharp (sharpebirder AT gmail.com). Our local guide was the excellent Pepe Clavijo...
2008 [April] - Todd pepper
Report...A number of Savannah Hawks were observed during the drive, as was a pair of Red & Green Macaw. Stopping on a bridge over a river we quickly ticked off Black-collared Swallow and Paradise Jacamar. Before checking into our cabins in Las Caritas we added Fulvous Crested Tanager, Masked Tanager, Tepui Swift, Chapman’s Swift, Black-necked Aracari, a heard only Capuchinbird and Red-necked Woodpecker. Overnight in Las Caritas...
2010 [February] - Dave Ferguson
ReportThis was a short duration, high intensity tour which took in many of the habitats to the west of Caracas. We rose before dawn and usually breakfasted at the hotel while it was still dark. There was a two hour drive to the first hotel, where we spent a brief night, a five hour drive when we moved from the mountains to the coast, and a four-and-a-half hour drive from the coast back to Caracas. In between, drives from our two bases were less than an hour. Given the number of habitats we visited and the number of birds we saw it was a surprisingly less manic than some of our other holidays...
Tips for Visiting Birders
ReportI have heard that car rentals are very expensive (USD 350 per week) so I would like to try to make use of the good bus network....
This section sponsored by:
Angel Eco-Tours
Tour OperatorThe sound of hundreds of parrots awakening breaks the silence. You and your travel companions climb out of your beds to see the sunrise and experience the wonder that is Venezuela...
Arassari Trek [formerly Bum Bum Tours]
Tour OperatorAll our trips are highly educational and designed to give fair paid work to people living in remote areas. Ecological conscience and conservation of the environment are our main concerns to help preserve Venezuela as beautiful as it is right now.
Ascanio Birding Tours
Tour Operatorwhether you are an individual traveler or you like to join fellow birders, we can arrange a wide variety of birding tours to the famed Rancho Grande, the vast plains (Llanos), the Andes, the mountains of Paria, the Lake Maracaibo basin and the Tepuis. Over the years, we have found locations to look for the Roraiman Nightjar (our first record is back to 1984!), Scallop-breasted Antpitta, Recurve-billed Bushbird, Tepui Wren, Orinoco Softtail, Gray-headed Warbler, Great Antpitta and 3 yet undescribed birds among others...
Birding Pal
InformationLocal birders willing to show visiting birders around their area...
Birding South America
Tour OperatorWe offer a selection of the very best birdwatching holidays to Central and South America. Our guides are experts in the region and we work with the very best ground operators. By minimalising costs we can offer you better value for money.
Birds Venezuela
Tour OperatorJoe Klaiber has worked with tourists, photographers, botanists and ornithologists since 1995 in Venezuela. As well as with bird lovers, e.g. The German Institute for the Bird Research, WWF and for Audubon guides. The main places where he offers his services are the Andes, Los Llanos, Catatumbo Delta and Henry Pitier and Tama National Park. He was born in Germany but he went to Venezuela where he made his hobby into his profession: ornithology. He is married to a Peruvian woman, father of two kids and the owner of a guesthouse. In the last years he worked a lot with Hummingbirds, Fruiteaters, Antpittas and Raptors. He uses Leica and Brunton equipment and works with playbacks. He's an absolute birdlover and spends his sparetime, when he's not guiding, birdwatching in the cloudforests of the Venezuelean Andes.
Fieldguides
Tour OperatorVenezuela has just about everything a birder could want in a visit to the Neotropics; a rich avifauna well illustrated in a newly published field guide, ample and diverse habitats and a well-maintained road system to reach them, modern facilities and friendly people...
Footprint
Tour OperatorFootprint run regular birding tours to Venezuela.
Geodyssey
Tour OperatorYou might choose to tour Venezuela staying in comfortable hotels and lodges with opportunities to explore each region. You might like to have an active holiday, going on an adventurous trek or a river journey deep in the more remote regions of Venezuela. You might be keen to see something of Venezuela`s huge diversity of birds and wildlife. Even if you prefer just to relax on a beautiful beach, Venezuela offers you a choice from lively beach-life to quiet Robinson Crusoe beaches fringed with palm trees. (There is also the tourist island of Margarita, which is best avoided if you would prefer to see the real Venezuela.)
Guided Birding
Tour OperatorThis unique combination allows birding Brazil tours and their guides to offer you the highest quality bird tour available within Venezuela and to other South American countries...
Kolibri Expeditions
Tour OperatorGunnar Engblom-Lima, Peru. Birdwatching in S. America. tele/fax +51 (0)1 476 50 16 cel: 9643 77 49 or 99007886 Kolibri Expeditions-Expediton Birding to the Endemic and Threatened Birds. Marvelous Spatuletail Tours-Spectacular Birding and Great Comfort. Email: kolibriexp@telefonica.net.pe. Birding Peru e-group: birdingperu-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Trip reports, recent sightings, travel tips, travel partners, range extensions, identification help, etc. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Birdingperu
Lost World Adventures
Tour Operator...A birdwatcher`s paradise, more than 300 species have been identified here including three species of stork, six varieties of ibis and numerous other shallow-water wading birds, songbirds and waterfowl. In the early morning and evening in particular, the riverbanks, forest edges and lagoons come to life with active birds and animals...
Mark Smith Nature Tours
Tour OperatorThe Llanos is a distinctive region of northern South America, partly flooded half the year, and drying grasslands and pools the other half. The concentrations of waterfowl and wading birds are astonishing. Large animals like Capybara (world`s largest rodent) Caiman, Anaconda, Capuchin Monkey, Peccaries, Giant Anteater, Ocelot, and even Puma and Jaguar are seen with regularity. We stay four days at a large palatial ranch (Hato) in the heart of the Llanos.
Natoura Adventure Tours
Tour OperatorSince its inception in 1986, NATOURA has remained a team of young and enthusiastic nature lovers, who specialize in organizing safe and exciting Eco & Adventure tours throughout our beautiful and diverse country...
Orinoco Tours
Tour OperatorAll our tours described in other sections take you to places all over the country where you can, among other activities, observe birds and wildlife in general. But if you are a serious birdwatcher, then this section is for you. Venezuela has 1.346 species of birds reported to date, which is about 42% of the total for South America (also known as the birds Continent) or 14% of the world total.
Southwind Adventures
Tour OperatorVenezuela, South America`s Caribbean jewel, offers travelers an amazingly rich variety of experiences, and on this exciting trip we`ll enjoy the best of them! The country is a naturalist`s delight with more than 1,250 species of birds and more than 250 species of mammals!
Sunbird
Tour OperatorWhile entirely encompassed by the tropics, Venezuela contains a wide cross-section of habitats from lowland Amazonian rainforest through to barren, snow-capped Andean peaks...
Trogon Tours
Tour OperatorThe Venezuelan Andes is the most northern part of the Andes. They are separated from the Colombian part by a wide gap. This makes that some of the high mountain birds evolved as endemics...
Venadventure
Tour OperatorWe offer a broad range of activities varying from trekking, climbing, mountain biking, birding, horseback riding, paragliding, snorkelling, rafting and fishing to soft-adventure nature and cultural safaris.
Venezuela Nature Tours
Tour OperatorThe only Venezuelan tours created and run by conservation biologists...
Venezuela Voyage
Tour OperatorCombine a dash of color, a splash of light, the spice of Life, a chaser of youth and a kiss of beauty. Then add a pinch of contradiction. Stir in the Caribbean, the Andes and the Orinoco, and you have Venezuela...
Casa Vieja Merida
AccommodationThe Posada Casa Vieja Merida is situated in the Venezuelan Andes, at the calm Andean community of Tabay which 11 kilometers away from the vivid city of Mérida. Close to the Posada Casa Vieja is the Sierra Nevada national park where the famous Humboldt Trail is located. In this cloud forest lives a big avifauna and Trogons, Quetzals, Hummingbirds, Tanager, Antbirds, etc … can be seen easy. Joe Klaiber lives there with his family and organized daily bird watching excursions in the area www.birds-venezuela.de
Hato el Cedral
AccommodationHato El Cedral is located in the low plains of Venezuela`s Apure, near the town of Mantecal, in the country`s vast interior grasslands known as the llanos. Its 53,000 hectares (106,000 acres) are both a working cattle ranch with more than 20,000 head of cattle and an important tourist center for the growing interest in ecological and adventure tourism. This camp provides its visitors with one of the most outstanding displays of animal wildlife in the western hemisphere. In addition to being a working ranch, El Cedral is also considered an ecological reserve, and hundreds of species of wild animals run free. The wildlife here are unaware of the danger associated with man`s presence, because hunting has been banned for many years. El Cedral is the only ranch where animals are friendly and abundant, which distinguishes it as the best on the Venezuelan plains!
Orinoco Delta Lodge
AccommodationIs a family run operation specialized in nature and adventure travel in The Orinoco Delta Region in Venezuela with offices in Tucupita and Playa el Agua in Margarita Island...
Peacock Bay Lodge
AccommodationReally for fishermen, but it might be a good base for others too.
Ucaima Camp
AccommodationThis is the oldest of the camps in the area. Well known Rudy "Jungle Rudy" Truffino built his camp in Ucaima, a few minutes by jeep upriver from Canaima on the banks of the Carrao River in the 1950's. It is now operated by his daughters who provide warm, friendly service to the guests and are always available for chatting with guests about the beauty of the Lost World region. Encounters there included half a dozen resident black-capped parrots, a baby giant anteater, a tapir, a resident macaw, and a friendly boa constrictor...
Aves de Venezuela
WebsiteAqui encontrará la información que necesita acerca de la distribución de las aves de Venezuela, sus cantos, las publicaciones y sus autores, y otros datos de interés...
Birding in Venezuela
WebsiteA birdwatcher`s paradise, more than 300 species have been identified here including three species of stork, six varieties of ibis and numerous other shallow-water wading birds, songbirds and waterfowl. In the early morning and evening in particular, the riverbanks, forest edges and lagoons come to life with active birds and animals...
Birding in Venezuela
WebsiteVenezuela is, besides Colombia and Peru, the world`s richest country in birds. Venezuela is pure nature. It`s a combined country with complete vegetation`s level. The highest concentration is found, at a certain point, in Mérida: it goes northern from 5000mts in the Andes to the Caribbean and southern to the Amazon through elfy- and cloud forests over gallery forests, savannahs swamps, dryforest, deltas, tropical rain forests and the table top mountains.
Birds of Venezuela
WebsiteBird Songs International B.V. proudly presents its third CD-ROM: Birds of Venezuela / Aves de Venezuela, by Peter Boesman! This revolutionary CD-ROM for Windows contains 700 photographs, almost 1300 sound recordings (more than 7.5 hours!); and a complete set of distribution maps of 878 bird species. Everything presented in an extremely user-friendly format: any sound recording, any photo is seconds away, accessible by just a few keyclicks!
Birdwatching in and around Mérida
WebsiteMérida state has some of the best and most convenient birding places in Venezuela. From the city of Merida one can travel to the lowlands at sealevel or to the highlands above 3500 m in just 2 hours. Vegetation goes from tropical savannah to cloudforests, elfin forests and paramo above treeline. So it is not surprising that over 500 species can be found here.
Checklist Birds of Venezuela
ChecklistVenezuela Yours... Nature
WebsiteThose large black birds, with long, sharp and extended wings, showing a whitish or intense red colored swollen throat, are the Frigate Birds, the \"always there\" black shore birds that sail the high blue sky for hours every day...
Venezuelan Birds
WebsiteVenezuela! A birders paradise...
Visiting Birders
WebsiteSuggestions for anyone contemplating a birding trip to Venezuela... Pdf format
back to the top of this page
This site was last updated on Wednesday, 12th June 2013.