Planning started in May 2009 for a trip to South America for myself and my wife Yvonne in September 2010. I had previously only been to Venezuela for a couple of days, so the rest of South America would be a completely new experience.
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| Rugged Andes from Machu Piccu |
In preparation for the trip we bought quite a few books via Amazon, including tourist guides for South America, Peru, the Galapagos and Ecuador, Travellers Wildlife Guide for Peru, birding field guides for Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Northern South America (two volumes), and the Galapagos. There was lots of information to wade through and the numbers of birds plus new species and families was mind boggling.
The original concept was to visit Peru, Ecuador and the Galapagos, with a stopover in Chile. I approached a number of tour operators and looked at many travel itineraries and flight options. It soon became clear that the original concept of trip to Peru for 10 to 12 days, Ecuador and the Galapagos for a further 10 to 12 days and then Chile for a further week was too ambitious and after allowing for flight connections, would not allow sufficient time in any one country to do it justice.
In addition a trip to the Galapagos, which requires at least a 7 day trip to visit the key islands and do the place justice, is expensive and had a big impact on the proposed itinerary. As the Galapagos tours have fixed departure dates, one has to juggle the flights to minimise wasting time with connections.
The concept for the itinerary then changed to three days birding around Santiago in Chile followed by a 30 day trip to Peru. The flights on LAN Chile would take us from Sydney to Auckland in New Zealand, then across to Santiago in Chile before flying up to Lima in Peru.
The itinerary for Peru would include a pelagic from Lima, a two day trip to Cusco and Machu Picchu, two days at Abra Malaga, then 12 days down the Manu road and into the Amazon, and finally a 11 day trip around northern Peru. This itinerary was finalised by February 2010, the flight bookings made and the trip deposit paid for. Further tweaking of the trip details continued up until June 2010 when the balance of the trip was paid for.
The trip to Cusco and Machu Picchu was a private trip for myself and Yvonne, for Abra Malaga and Manu we were joining up with a group of four birders from South Africa and the Northern Peru trip was a customised private tour with a couple from Canada joining us to reduce the costs.
As the Tanager Tours website states, “We are realistic in what is possible when birding – although we also do our utmost to show our customers as much as possible of Peru’s splendour and do all we can to answer the clients’ wishes for endemic or difficult to find species, we do not build castles of air. Our strategy is to make a realistic plan, based on thorough correspondence, to attain our clients’ targets. Tanager Tours’ guiding principle is that our tours should surpass your expectations, not to evoke unrealistic expectations that we cannot substantiate. After all, birds remain birds, and that is exactly their attraction.”
Tanager Tours certainly met and exceeded our expectations, largely as a result of the efforts of our guide David Geale, who was outstanding in his organisational and birding skills, and is the best birding guide I have had the privilege of birding with.
Last Minute Changes
When I started planning for the trip in 2009, business was slow and was impacted by the Global Financial Crisis. By the time 2010 came along, work had picked up considerably and I was under a lot of pressure as I was now managing a major project, in addition to other consulting work. In 2010, I had already made seven overseas trips before the scheduled trip to Peru in September, including three to North America, one to Europe and one to Southern Africa.
So it was getting hectic and as I couldn’t afford to be away from work for over five weeks, I decided to reduce the trip to three weeks. To do this I cut out the Lima pelagic and the Northern Peru trip. In addition I changed the flights to fly with Qantas from Sydney directly to Buenos Aires in Argentina and then onto Lima. On the way back I arranged for a three day stop-over in Argentina and a birding trip away from the city.
I managed to get a full refund from LAN Chile on the flights, there is a clause in the small print which allows for a refund if they cancel or change any booked flights, which they had. I found it very difficult dealing with LAN Chile, as their Sydney office is hopeless and all queries and flight changes go though their South American offices. Originally I just asked them to cancel the flights to Northern Peru but they refused to do this, so I cancelled all the bookings and got a full refund.
These changes were made three weeks before the trip and was not a decision taken lightly, as I was really looking forward to the trip to Northern Peru.
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| Colourful Markets at Pisac |
Peru
First Impressions
25th September - The flight across to Argentina was a good trip, plenty of time to sleep and great views over Antarctica and the southern parts of South America. There was a bit of a long stop-over of 9 hours in Buenos Aires before flying up to Lima.
25th September - On arrival into Lima we got though customs very quickly and leaving our checked-in luggage behind, we were out of the airport earlier than expected. We checked with three different staff about our luggage which had been booked from Melbourne through to Cusco, if we should pick it up in Lima. We were assured that this was not necessary and that it would go onto Cusco the following morning.
At the airport we failed to find Wim ten Have who was the owner of Tanager Tours and was going to take us across Lima to our accommodation in Barranco. The local touts selling accommodation at the airport said that there was nothing available at the airport and suggested their preferred accommodation, no doubt with a commission in mind. After looking around for Wim for about 45 minutes and getting frustrated we walked across the road to an airport hotel and managed to get a room with no problems, which cost US$200 as compared to what I had been quoted at US$340 before.
All we wanted to do was clean-up and sleep, as we had an early morning flight the next day to Cusco. We were horribly jet lagged at that stage, having travelled for over 30 hours and it was still Saturday 25th September.
26th September - The next morning we tried to check-in for our flight to Cusco and were refused as we didn’t have our check-in luggage. So off to the local LAN Chile office to sort this out. The office was closed and only opened at 8:30am well after our flight was due to leave. Luckily there was a lady working in the office sorting out some other problem and she eventually took us into the secure area of the international arrivals hall to retrieve our bags from storage. By this time it was getting close to our departure time, so it was a rush back to the domestic check-in and then up to the boarding area. Not a good start to our trip.
This map shows the trip route from Cusco to Machu Picchu and also route down the Manu Road and Alto Madre de Dios river.
Inca Ruins
The flight to Cusco was great with
close-up views of the Andes and a spectacular approach to Cusco
airport. Lima looked dry and dusty from the air, Cusco looked far worse, not what one reads about in the tourist guides!  |
| Sprawling Cusco |
Luckily at Cusco we had a guide to meet up with and things were getting back on track. Cusco is at an altitude of 3,400m so its takes a little bit of getting used to. One can certainly feel the effect when walking up steep slopes. For the balance of the day we visited Inca ruins of Saqsayhuman close to Cusco, then more ruins down the Sacred Valley at Pisac. The ruins at Pisac are worth a visit and the surrounding mountains are impressive.
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| Inca Ruins of Saqsayhuman close to Cusco |
We also stopped off at our first Peruvian market for some shopping. The local clothes, jerseys, blankets and bags have some wonderful colours and it’s hard not to buy too much.
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| Urubamba Valley |
We then travelled down the Urubamba Valley onto our accommodation at Hotel Sauce (www.hostalsauce.com.pe) in Ollantaytambo. The hotel was very pleasant and comfortable, with friendly hosts. Had a message from David Geale and met up with him that evening for a quick introduction. What a relief that we had made contact with David and now the trip looked as if it was back on track.
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| View from Hotel Sauce across Ollantaytambo with some Inca ruins on the hillside |
Machu Picchu
27th September – Originally we had requested the 5:10am train from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu, however by the time Tanager Tours were able to purchase the tickets, over 6 months later, only the 10:30am trip was available. There had been serious floods earlier in the year which had washed away the railway line and stranded tourists. Whilst the rail service was out of service there had been no ticket sales. |
| Vistadome to Machu Piccu |
The train trip down the Urubamba Valley was very pleasant in the Vistadome and there were snow-capped peaks along the way. Most of the valley was dry and dusty, however just before we arrived at the village of Aquas Calientes the vegetation changed to quite tropical and green. Machu Picchu itself is exposed to humid air coming up the Urubamba Valley from the Amazon River basin and this provides the rain.
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| Inca Trail with Snow-capped Peaks |
After arriving in Aquas Calientes we had to find a bus to take us up the dusty winding road to the Machu Picchu entrance plus purchase a set of tickets for the site from a different office. We had great weather up at Machu Picchu and thoroughly enjoyed exploring the Inca ruins. The Inca site is very impressive and well worth visiting. It’s interesting that the elevation at Machu Picchu is only 2,430m which is considerably lower than Cusco.
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| Machu Piccu |
We had a train booked for 7:30pm, however as we had had plenty of time to explore Machu Picchu and the markets at Aquas Calientes, we took an earlier trip back to Ollantaytambo.
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| Some Incredible Engineering at Machu Piccu |
Not much in the way of birds at Machu Picchu or in the Urubamba Valley, however we did see at least 14 Torrent Duck on the train ride in the morning.
Abra Malaga
28th September – We met up with the rest of the birding party and made an early start from Ollantaytambo. We headed up the Abra Malaga pass and over the other side, to slightly lower elevation, to bird the upper cloud forest in the morning. After lunch we travelled back over the pass and birded in a sheltered valley on the eastern side of the pass. The road winds up to the Abra Malaga pass which has an elevation of 4,350m and the peaks on either side are covered with snow. Quite spectacular and you soon appreciate having a good driver. |
Local Orchids on Western Slopes of Abra Malaga |
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| Creamy-crested Spinetail |
Some specials for the area were seen, such as the endemics Creamy-crested Spinetail and White-tufted Sunbeam but as all the birds were new, it’s hard to get excited about a special or rare bird. Back in Ollantaytambo for the evening and dinner at a local Italian restaurant.
29th September – Another early morning and back up the Abra Malaga pass, well there were no late mornings for the next three weeks, so we just got used to it. Today we stopped at the top of the pass and then walked further up the mountain to do some high altitudinal birding. It’s hard work at that elevation and there’s not much oxygen in the air, so lots of heavy breathing.
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| Abra Malaga at about 4,500m |
We saw a couple of the high altitude specialities such as the Ash-breasted Tit-Tyrant and White-browed Tit-Spinetail both of which inhabit the Polylepis woods and Gynoxys thickets between 3700 and 4600m. On the way down the steep slopes of the other side of the mountain, we came across more birds as we descended into farmland, such as Stripe-headed Antpitta and Andean Flicker. We had a number of Mountain Caracara fly over which are impressive birds. For the day we managed to only see 33 birds but the birds we did see were specialised birds which we didn’t see on the rest of the trip.
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| Stripe-headed Antpitta |
That afternoon we travelled back to Ollantaytambo to collect our bags before driving up to Cusco for the evening. Had dinner in a delightful restaurant which had great food and very interesting decorations.
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| Cusco Restaurant |
30th September – This was the day we were to start the trip along the Manu Road and we were leaving civilisation with some trepidation. First stop was at Lake Huacarpay to see some highland lake and marsh birds such as Many-colored Rush-tyrant which is quite a spectacular little bird found in the reed beds. We also saw some of the special endemics such as Bearded Mountaineer (a hummingbird) and Rusty-fronted Canastero, plus the Giant Hummingbird, the largest of the hummingbirds. We did see two Andean Fox (also known as Culpeo Fox - Pseudalopex culpaeus) in the wetlands which was very nice.
After that it was a tedious drive up dusty mountain passes, through barren landscape till we reached the Ajanaco pass at 3,550m at midday. Along the way to Paucartambo we stopped at the Chullpas of Ninamarca. These are ruins of pre-Inca burial chambers from the Lupaca people which were constructed between 1150 and 1250AD.
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| Chullpas of Ninamarca - Pre-Inca Burial Towers |
From there the scenery changed abruptly and we were into cloud forest, that is on the eastern slopes of the Andes where the cool wet air drifts up from the Amazon basin. This is where the Manu Biosphere Reserve begins and it was a welcome relief from the dusty Peru we had been in previously.
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| View of Manu Road to the East of Ajanacu Pass |
We did some birding at the top of the Ajanacu pass and managed to photograph Scribble-tailed Canastero. David Geale and I saw Grey-breasted Mountain Toucan in the early evening which was a great bird to see, my first Toucan. Also saw four great looking Tanagers, such as the Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager and the Barred Fruiteater.
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| Scribble-tailed Canastero |
At Lake Huacarpay in the morning I had seen 38 birds, plus three birds seen on the dusty drive and then 25 birds in the afternoon, with a total of 66 birds for the day.
That evening we stayed at the ACCA (Aves de Wayqecha) research centre situated at 2,700m. The accommodation as very comfortable and the gardens were lovely, a great place to stay and unfortunately we were only there for a night.
To give an idea of the elevation changes we started at the top of the Andes pass at 3,500m and had to descend to about 300m at Puerto Maldonado, over the next 10 days.
1st October – Today we travelled very slowly
down the Manu Road to the Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge (CORL) walking for a good part
of the way. The elevation drops from 2,700m to 2,000m and the weather was
pleasant and cool in the morning, warming up during the day with light rain in
the afternoon. The vegetation consists of thick forests with steep valleys.
There are frequent landslides which take huge trees down into the valleys, which are then washed down into the major river system. It’s still very much an evolving landscape and interesting to see how the valleys and forests have developed.
There were plenty of beautiful butterflies along the way and there are some tours available to Peru dedicated just to butterflies.
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| Birding the Manu Road - David Geale in the gumboots |
There are frequent landslides which take huge trees down into the valleys, which are then washed down into the major river system. It’s still very much an evolving landscape and interesting to see how the valleys and forests have developed.
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| Rebuilding the road after a recent landslide |
There were plenty of beautiful butterflies along the way and there are some tours available to Peru dedicated just to butterflies.
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| Roadside Butterfly |
That evening we stayed at the Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge which was very pleasant with separate bungalows. The dining area overlooked the lovely gardens and the bird feeders. Plenty of interesting Hummingbird visiting the feeders plus we saw Bolivian Squirrel, Tayra, South American Coati and Black Agouti from the veranda.
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| Black Agouti |
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| Andean Cock-of-the-Rock |
I saw 69 species of bird for the day which included targets such as the stunning Versicolored Barbet, Yungas Manakin, Chestnut-tipped Toucanet and Dusky-green Oropendola.
3rd October – Today we birded from the Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge at 2,000m down to about 1,000m from 06:00 to 10:30. We stopped off at Pilcopata later in the morning before taking a boat down to the Amazonia Lodge. We saw our first Red-and-green Macaw and Chestnut-fronted Macaw from Pilcopata.
We had dropped significantly in elevation during the morning and were now on the upper reaches of the Alto Madre de Dios river, which was fast flowing and fairly shallow at this point. The weather had been cool and misty in the morning and remained cool for the rest of the day.
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| Alto Madre de Dios river at Pilcopata |
We arrived at Amazonia Lodge in the early afternoon after a short boat ride and then birded around the lodge grounds. The accommodation at Amazonia was excellent and there were comfortable chairs to relax in and enjoy the various Hummingbirds and Tanagers plus the Pale-legged Hornero which frequented the gardens. The Rufous-crested Coquette was however the highlight of the garden birds.
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| Rufous-crested Coquette |
The birding in the morning at the higher elevations and also at Amazonia Lodge was excellent with 98 birds seen for the day. This was the highest bird list for the trip so far and most of the birds were seen at Amazonia Lodge. At long last I felt that we were getting into the real birding for Peru.
4th October – Unfortunately we only had one night at Amazonia and had to leave at 2pm. In the morning we headed off on a walk into the forest behind the lodge. When the birding slowed down I left the group and headed up to the top of the hill and up the rickety canopy tower, which has wonderful views over the forest and river.
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| Swallow-tailed Kite |
Up the tower I had birds come up very close, good enough for photos, such as Blue, Back-faced and Yellow-bellied Dacnis plus Purple Honeycreeper and Green Honeycreeper. The highlight however was four Swallow-tailed Kites flying over very close to the tower. There were plenty of other interesting birds seen from the tower and it was a good exercise in bird identification without relying on the guide.
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| Blue Dacnis (female) |
At 2pm it was back into the boat to head further downstream to Pantiacolla Lodge where we were to spend the next three nights. Pantiacolla Lodge was a great place to stay although was quite different to Amazonia Lodge. We arrived at Pantiacolla later in the afternoon and birded up until 6pm. The highlight at Pantiacolla was the Long-tailed Potoo which was on its nest with a chick. Not much of a nest, the bird (an oversized frogmouth) just clings to the trunk of a tree.
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| Long-tailed Potoo with chick |
At Amazonia I saw 53 birds and at Pantiacolla 33 birds, including birds seen on the river, with a total of 80 birds for the day. Even though Pantiacolla was not far away from Amazonia there was very little overlap in the bird species seen for the day.
5th October – On today’s agenda was a full day of birding around various areas close to the Pantiacolla Lodge from 6am to 6pm with a midday break for about four hours.
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| Stick Insect |
The Pantiacolla Lodge area has extensive patches of bamboo, where you can see specialities as Rufous-headed Woodpecker, Bamboo Antshrike, Manu Antbird and White-cheeked Tody-Tyrant. It has good primary forest, which has less birds than in the secondary growth, but a lot more than you encounter at other comparable places. Pantiacolla is one of the best places to see a range of Tinamou and Antbird, two typical rainforest families.
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| Capped Heron |
The morning birding was productive with 41 birds seen and the afternoon slower with only 25 birds seen, with a total of 62 for the day. Some of the highlights were Little Tinamou, Spix’s Guan, Festive Coquette and White-throated Toucan plus Sand-colored and Ladder-tailed Nightjar on the river at sunset. There were a host of bamboo specials seen such as Antshrike (2 species), Antwren, Antbird (4 species) and Antpitta. Although David Geale tried hard, I don’t think I ever got too excited about these “ant” birds.
6th October – Today’s agenda was another full day of birding around various areas close to the Pantiacolla Lodge from 5am to 5pm with a midday break for about two hours.
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| Typical forest view from river |
The morning birding was productive with 48 birds seen and the afternoon slower with only 19 birds seen, with a total of 61 for the day. Again there were good birds seen although in the afternoon I wandered off to do my own birding, hence the lower number of birds identified.
Birding in the forests of the Amazon basin was quite pleasant and I felt quite safe birding by myself. There were very few mosquitoes around and to date we hadn’t seen any snakes, poisonous frogs, army ants, piranha fish or other nasties that you see on those David Attenborough films? In fact the forests of the Amazon were similar to the forests up Cape York in Australia.
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| Interesting Beetle |
However that evening we were awakened to much excitement from our South African neighbours. The chalets we were staying in each had a walkway to the bathroom which was a little hut raised off the ground. One of the other party had visited the toilet in the dark and thought that there was a towel hanging over the door, preventing it closing. So he pulled on the “towel” and got a shock because it hissed at him. He shot off into the toilet and was trapped. His female travelling companion had to rescue him and took the photo of a large yellow-coloured python, most likely an Amazon Tree Boa.
One of the features of the lodges in the Amazon is that none provide lighting after dark, so all you have is some candles and torches. In the evening the birders sit in the dark, except for some candles or head torches, trying to record what they have seen for the day. None of the lodges provide hot water so it’s cold showers and no shaving, for me at least.
7th October – Today we left Pantiacolla Lodge in the morning and headed further down the river to the Manu Wildlife Centre (MWC) where we were to spend the next four nights.
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| Our River Transport |
MWC was quite a bit different to the other lodges and is a very popular location for other tour groups, having an extensive trail system and a canopy tower. There is also the option to visit the nearby clay-lick for macaws at Blanquillo and the oxbow lake at Cocha Blanco that hosts Giant Otter. Many visitors to MWC take the flight from Cusco to Boca Manu and then the short 2 hour boat ride. This is a good option for those with limited time, as MWC offers some of the best birding and mammal viewing, that we had on our trip. The accommodation and dining facilities at MWC were excellent.
For the first time on the trip we had to share the lodge with other birders, which was only really evident at dinner time when the birding groups would gather to go through their bird lists for the day and then have dinner. In addition advance bookings had to be made to visit certain birding sites to avoid too many birders at any one site.
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| Hoatzin |
The morning birding was productive with 54 birds seen at Pantiacolla and on the river. The afternoon at MWC was also good with 31 birds seen, the total for the day was 70 birds. The trip down the river produced some good birds such as the Giant Potoo and about 30 Sand-colored Nighthawk roosting on driftwood in the river.
By now the river currents had slowed down considerably and the river was widening as we progressed down. Trees that had been washed down from the upper reaches of the river were jammed up with other trees and debris, which eventually formed islands as sand collected. Over time these islands re-established vegetation and formed forests. Unfortunately poorly regulated (or illegal?) alluvial gold mining operations became more evident as we progressed further down the river. In addition, clearings were also seen when there had been recent logging.
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| Alluvial Gold Mining |
8th October – Today we travelled down the river to visit the clay-lick at Blanquillo, leaving at 5am and returning at midday. The conditions were cool and overcast with some rain. Despite the rain we had an excellent morning at the clay-lick and I saw 69 birds there. I didn’t do any birding in the afternoon and caught up on emails and bird lists. This was the first place since leaving Ollantaytambo that I had internet access.
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| Sungrebe |
At the clay-lick there were large numbers of parrots and macaws, such as Scarlet Macaw (2), Blue-and-yellow Macaw (14), Red-and-green Macaw 40), Orange-cheeked Parrot (200), Yellow-crowned Amazon 50), Mealy Amazon (120), Tui Parakeet (2) and Blue-headed Parrot (170). It’s fantastic to see these macaws in the wild.
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| Red-and-green Macaw |
There were plenty of other good birds to see, however highlights were the Black Skimmer on the river and the Jabiru (not the Australian Jabiru!).
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| Jabiru |
9th October – Today we started off with some birding in the morning around MWC and then travelled down the river again to Cocha Blanco, this time to visit the Blanco oxbow lake.
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| Blanco Oxbow Lake |
I went off birding by myself in the morning and had some good bird sightings in the bamboo thickets plus some great mammal sightings, including Brown-mantled Tamarin, Emperor Tamarin, Tufted Capuchin, Common Squirrel Monkey and Black Agouti. I also heard Bolivian Red Howler which make an incredible noise in the forest, yet it’s only one howler monkey making the calls. I tried to track down the howler monkeys but was not successful. Yvonne saw a Neotropical River Otter in the creek at the lodge, which was very nice.
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| Neotropical River Otter |
Some good birds for the morning included Undulated Tinamou, Ivory-billed Aracari, White-fronted Nunbird and Plum-throated Cotinga. The Tinamou tend to be quite shy however if you walk quietly in the forest you can get fairly close.
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| Snail Kite |
In the afternoon we visited the Blanco oxbow lake and were taken on a boat around the lakes. The boat was paddled by local guides which enabled us to get up close to the birds. We saw the only piranha of the trip being eaten by a Cocoi Heron. The oxbow lake is an entrapped body of water, similar to a billabong, and this is where one can find the piranha and Giant Otter.
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| Boat-billed Heron |
The birdlife at the oxbow lake and on the path from the main river to the lake was excellent with highlights including Snail Kite, Boatbilled Heron, Horned Screamer, Blue-throated Piping Guan, Sungebe and Limpkin. A couple of Black-billed Seed Finch were also seen in the grassy margin of the lake which is a rare and localised bird for Peru.
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| Wattled Jacana |
The morning birding was good with 26 birds identified by myself, however the afternoon was excellent with 62 birds seen, giving a total of 85 for the day.
10th October – Today we booked the canopy tower for our group for the morning. We left MWC at 5:30am for a fairly short walk to the tower. Birding however was quite slow so the rest of the group went off with the guide and I stayed behind. The birdlife picked up a bit when the rest of the group had left and I had good views of Curl-crested Aracari, Bare-necked Fruitcrow, Bluish-fronted Jacamar and Black-fronted Nunbird. On the way back to MWC I had good views of Cream-colored Woodpecker.
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| Cream-colored Woodpecker |
I saw 26 birds for the morning and didn’t do any further birding for the day.
We did have some excitement in the afternoon when a snake was spotted outside the dining area. It looked to be some sort of tree snake and was a beautiful looking snake, green with a yellow head and red tongue. Must have been at least 2 or 3m long and could move very fast.
Later on that day a similar snake was spotted in a bungalow, it did a hop skip and jump over one of our party and then had to be removed from the unit.
11th October – Today we left MWC at 6am for the long boat ride down to Laberinto, which took the good part of the day. We arrived at Laberinto at 3pm and then took a taxi to Puerto Maldonado.
The boat ride produced a few new birds with the highlight being a Roseate Spoonbill. A tern was seen briefly by myself and David Geale as we arrived into Laberinto and this was thought to be a Carbot’s Tern, which would be a rare/uncommon passage migrant.
The taxi ride into Puerto Maldonado produced a few more birds with the highlight being a White-tailed Kite, this being very similar to the Black-shouldered Kite seen in Australia and the Black-winged Kite seen in Africa.
Puerto Maldonado is a tatty run-down town with police all over the place and the hotel was not much better. It’s only good for an overnight stay however the birding in the area can be rewarding.
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| Our taxi taking us to dinner |
12th October – As our flight from Puerto Maldonado to Cusco and then Lima was only leaving at 2pm, I organised an early morning birding trip with David Geale.
We headed out to some nice bush just outside on the town and came across a fish farm. This was a new site for David and it turned out to be some of the best birding of the trip. Between 5:30am and 8am I saw 59 birds including a lifer for David, which was the Yellow-chinned Spinetail. According to the field guide there is only one sight record for Madre de Dios and we managed to get excellent views of the yellow chin and photographs.
Other excellent birds seen were Brazilian Teal (recent coloniser from Brazil and is not in the field guide), Lesser Yellowlegs, Baird, Solitary, Stilt and Pectoral Sandpiper, Rufous-sided Crake and Mato Grosso Flatbill (subspecies of the Yellow-olive Flatbill).
Then it was back to the hotel to clean-up before heading off to the airport. We arrived in Lima at 5pm and took a taxi to Second Home in Barranco (www.secondhomeperu.com), which is a lovely place to stay overlooking the coast. There are plenty of good restaurants close by and we went out to a good Italian restaurant in the evening.
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| Our room at Second Home in Barranco |
13th October – Off to the airport for an early morning flight at 8:35am to Buenos Aires in Argentina. Had great views of the Andes as we crossed them quite a bit south of Lima, the plane having to reduce fuel load before making the crossing. The trip to Argentina is covered in a separate trip report.
Conclusions
We had a great trip to Peru and were very well looked after by David Geale and his supporting crew. If we visit Peru again we will probably organise a private tour which would give us more flexibility. I still want to visit Northern Peru area for a couple of weeks and also do a pelagic trip, although organising pelagic trips is not straight-forward.As regards the birds, I saw just over 500 birds and another 11 were identified by call. Most of these were lifers for me and this was a good bird list thanks to the skill and efforts of David Geale.
The full list of the 512 birds seen and heard during the trip, including subspecies according to the IOC taxonomy, is as follows:
Tinamiformes
Tinamous
(Tinamidae)
Grey Tinamou
[sp] (Tinamus tao)
Cinereous
Tinamou (Crypturellus cinereus)
Little
Tinamou [sp] (Crypturellus soui)
Undulated
Tinamou [undulatus] (Crypturellus undulatus undulatus)
Galliformes
Chachalacas,
Curassows & Guans (Cracidae)
Speckled
Chachalaca [sp] (Ortalis guttata)
Andean Guan
[sp] (Penelope montagnii)
Spix's Guan
[sp] (Penelope jacquacu)
Blue-throated
Piping Guan [sp] (Pipile cumanensis)
Razor-billed
Curassow (Mitu tuberosum)
New World
Quail (Odontophoridae)
Stripe-faced
Wood Quail (Odontophorus balliviani)
Starred Wood
Quail (Odontophorus stellatus)
Anseriformes
Screamers
(Anhimidae)
Horned Screamer
(Anhima cornuta)
Ducks, Geese
& swans (Anatidae)
Torrent Duck
[sp] (Merganetta armata)
Orinoco Goose
(Neochen jubata)
Andean Goose
(Chloephaga melanoptera)
Muscovy Duck
(Cairina moschata)
Brazilian
Teal [sp] (Amazonetta brasiliensis)
Crested Duck
[sp] (Lophonetta specularioides)
Cinnamon Teal
[sp] (Anas cyanoptera)
Yellow-billed
Teal [sp] (Anas flavirostris)
Sharp-winged
Speckled Teal (Anas flavirostris oxyptera)
Puna Teal
(Anas puna)
Podicipediformes
Grebes
(Podicipedidae)
Least Grebe
[sp] (Tachybaptus dominicus)
Ciconiiformes
Storks
(Ciconiidae)
Jabiru
(Jabiru mycteria)
Pelecaniformes
Ibises,
Spoonbills (Threskiornithidae)
Andean Ibis
(Theristicus melanopis branickii)
Green Ibis
(Mesembrinibis cayennensis)
Puna Ibis
(Plegadis ridgwayi)
Roseate
Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja)
Herons,
Bitterns (Ardeidae)
Rufescent
Tiger Heron [sp] (Tigrisoma lineatum)
Fasciated
Tiger Heron [sp] (Tigrisoma fasciatum)
Boat-billed
Heron [sp] (Cochlearius cochlearius)
Black-crowned
Night Heron [sp] (Nycticorax nycticorax)
Striated
Heron [sp] (Butorides striata)
Western
Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
Cocoi Heron
(Ardea cocoi)
American
Great Egret (Ardea alba egretta)
Capped Heron
(Pilherodius pileatus)
Little Blue
Heron (Egretta caerulea)
Snowy Egret
[sp] (Egretta thula)
Suliformes
Cormorants,
Shags (Phalacrocoracidae)
Neotropic
Cormorant [sp] (Phalacrocorax brasilianus)
Anhingas,
Darters (Anhingidae)
Anhinga [sp]
(Anhinga anhinga)
ACCIPITRIFORMES
New World
Vultures (Cathartidae)
Turkey
Vulture [sp] (Cathartes aura)
Greater
Yellow-headed Vulture (Cathartes melambrotus)
Black Vulture
(Coragyps atratus)
King Vulture
(Sarcoramphus papa)
Ospreys
(Pandionidae)
Western
Osprey [sp] (Pandion haliaetus)
Kites, Hawks
& Eagles (Accipitridae)
Hook-billed
Kite [sp] (Chondrohierax uncinatus)
Swallow-tailed
Kite [sp] (Elanoides forficatus)
White-tailed
Kite [sp] (Elanus leucurus)
Snail Kite
[sp] (Rostrhamus sociabilis)
Plumbeous
Kite (Ictinia plumbea)
Plain-breasted
Hawk (Accipiter ventralis)
Great Black
Hawk [sp] (Buteogallus urubitinga)
Black-collared
Hawk [sp] (Busarellus nigricollis)
Roadside Hawk
[sp] (Buteo magnirostris)
White-rumped
Hawk (Buteo leucorrhous)
White-throated
Hawk (Buteo albigula)
Black-and-chestnut
Eagle (Spizaetus isidori)
Falconiformes
Caracaras,
Falcons (Falconidae)
Black
Caracara (Daptrius ater)
Red-throated
Caracara (Ibycter americanus)
Mountain
Caracara (Phalcoboenus megalopterus)
American
Kestrel [sp] (Falco sparverius)
Bat Falcon
[sp] (Falco rufigularis)
EURYPYGIFORMES
Sunbittern
(Eurypygidae)
Sunbittern
[sp] (Eurypyga helias)
Gruiformes
Finfoots
(Heliornithidae)
Sungrebe
(Heliornis fulica)
Rails,
Crakes & Coots (Rallidae)
Rufous-sided
Crake [oenops] (Laterallus melanophaius oenops)
Plumbeous
Rail [sp] (Pardirallus sanguinolentus)
Purple
Gallinule (Porphyrio martinicus)
Common
Gallinule [sp] (Gallinula galeata)
Andean Coot
[sp] (Fulica ardesiaca)
Trumpeters
(Psophiidae)
Pale-winged
Trumpeter [sp] (Psophia leucoptera)
Limpkin
(Aramidae)
Limpkin [sp]
(Aramus guarauna)
Charadriiformes
Stilts,
Avocets (Recurvirostridae)
Black-necked
Stilt [sp] (Himantopus mexicanus)
White-backed
Stilt (Himantopus melanurus)
Plovers
(Charadriidae)
Southern
Lapwing [sp] (Vanellus chilensis)
Andean
Lapwing (Vanellus resplendens)
Collared
Plover (Charadrius collaris)
Pied Plover
(Hoploxypterus cayanus)
Jacanas
(Jacanidae)
Wattled
Jacana [sp] (Jacana jacana)
Sandpipers,
Snipes (Scolopacidae)
Andean Snipe
(Gallinago jamesoni)
Hudsonian
Godwit (Limosa haemastica)
Greater
Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)
Lesser
Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)
Solitary
Sandpiper [sp] (Tringa solitaria)
Spotted
Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)
Baird's
Sandpiper (Calidris bairdii)
Pectoral
Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)
Stilt
Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus)
Wilson's
Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor)
Gulls, Terns
& Skimmers (Laridae)
Black Skimmer
[sp] (Rynchops niger)
Andean Gull
(Chroicocephalus serranus)
Cabot's Tern
(Thalasseus acuflavidus acuflavidus)
Yellow-billed
Tern (Sternula superciliaris)
Common Tern
[sp] (Sterna hirundo)
Large-billed
Tern [sp] (Phaetusa simplex)
Columbiformes
Doves and
Pigeons (Columbidae)
Feral Pigeon
(Columba livia ''feral'')
Band-tailed
Pigeon [sp] (Patagioenas fasciata)
Pale-vented
Pigeon [sp] (Patagioenas cayennensis)
Plumbeous
Pigeon [sp] (Patagioenas plumbea)
Ruddy Pigeon
[sp] (Patagioenas subvinacea)
Eared Dove
[sp] (Zenaida auriculata)
West Peruvian
Dove (Zenaida meloda)
Ruddy Ground
Dove [sp] (Columbina talpacoti)
Grey-fronted
Dove [sp] (Leptotila rufaxilla)
Ruddy
Quail-dove [sp] (Geotrygon montana)
Psittaciformes
Parrots and
Macaws (Psittacidae)
Blue-and-yellow
Macaw (Ara ararauna)
Scarlet Macaw
[sp] (Ara macao)
Red-and-green
Macaw (Ara chloropterus)
Chestnut-fronted
Macaw [sp] (Ara severus)
Red-bellied
Macaw (Orthopsittaca manilata)
Blue-headed
Macaw (Primolius couloni)
Mitred
Parakeet [sp] (Aratinga mitrata)
White-eyed
Parakeet [sp] (Aratinga leucophthalma)
Dusky-headed
Parakeet (Aratinga weddellii)
Cobalt-winged
Parakeet [sp] (Brotogeris cyanoptera)
Tui Parakeet
[sp] (Brotogeris sanctithomae)
Orange-cheeked
Parrot [sp] (Pyrilia barrabandi)
Blue-headed
Parrot [sp] (Pionus menstruus)
Yellow-crowned
Amazon [sp] (Amazona ochrocephala)
Scaly-naped
Amazon [sp] (Amazona mercenarius)
Mealy Amazon
[sp] (Amazona farinosa)
Opisthocomiformes
Hoatzin
(Opisthocomidae)
Hoatzin
(Opisthocomus hoazin)
Cuculiformes
Cuckoos
(Cuculidae)
Greater Ani
(Crotophaga major)
Smooth-billed
Ani (Crotophaga ani)
Squirrel
Cuckoo [sp] (Piaya cayana)
Dark-billed
Cuckoo (Coccyzus melacoryphus)
Strigiformes
Owls
(Strigidae)
Tawny-bellied
Screech Owl [sp] (Megascops watsonii)
Amazonian
Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium hardyi)
Caprimulgiformes
Potoos
(Nyctibiidae)
Great Potoo
[sp] (Nyctibius grandis)
Long-tailed
Potoo [sp] (Nyctibius aethereus)
Nightjars
(Caprimulgidae)
Sand-colored
Nighthawk [sp] (Chordeiles rupestris)
Common
Nighthawk [sp] (Chordeiles minor)
Ladder-tailed
Nightjar [sp] (Hydropsalis climacocerca)
Apodiformes
Swifts
(Apodidae)
Chestnut-collared
Swift [sp] (Streptoprocne rutila)
White-collared
Swift [sp] (Streptoprocne zonaris)
Andean Swift
[sp] (Aeronautes andecolus)
Neotropical
Palm Swift [sp] (Tachornis squamata)
Hummingbirds
(Trochilidae)
Rufous-breasted
Hermit [sp] (Glaucis hirsutus)
Reddish
Hermit [sp] (Phaethornis ruber)
Grey-breasted
Sabrewing [sp] (Campylopterus largipennis)
White-necked
Jacobin [sp] (Florisuga mellivora)
Sparkling
Violetear [sp] (Colibri coruscans)
Violet-headed
Hummingbird [sp] (Klais guimeti)
Rufous-crested
Coquette [sp] (Lophornis delattrei)
Festive
Coquette [sp] (Lophornis chalybeus)
Wire-crested
Thorntail (Discosura popelairii)
Blue-tailed
Emerald [sp] (Chlorostilbon mellisugus)
Fork-tailed
Woodnymph [sp] (Thalurania furcata)
White-chinned
Sapphire [sp] (Hylocharis cyanus)
Golden-tailed
Sapphire [sp] (Chrysuronia oenone)
Many-spotted
Hummingbird (Taphrospilus hypostictus)
Sapphire-spangled
Emerald [sp] (Amazilia lactea)
Speckled
Hummingbird [sp] (Adelomyia melanogenys)
Gould's
Jewelfront (Heliodoxa aurescens)
Violet-fronted
Brilliant [sp] (Heliodoxa leadbeateri)
Shining
Sunbeam [sp] (Aglaeactis cupripennis)
White-tufted
Sunbeam [sp] (Aglaeactis castelnaudii)
Bronzy Inca
[sp] (Coeligena coeligena)
Violet-throated
Starfrontlet [sp] (Coeligena violifer)
Sword-billed
Hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera)
Great
Sapphirewing [sp] (Pterophanes cyanopterus)
Giant
Hummingbird [sp] (Patagona gigas)
Amethyst-throated
Sunangel [sp] (Heliangelus amethysticollis)
Coppery-naped
Puffleg [sapphiropygia] (Eriocnemis luciani sapphiropygia)
Buff-thighed
Puffleg [sp] (Haplophaedia assimilis)
Booted
Racket-tail [sp] (Ocreatus underwoodii)
Green-tailed
Trainbearer [sp] (Lesbia nuna)
Purple-backed
Thornbill [sp] (Ramphomicron microrhynchum)
Bearded
Mountaineer [sp] (Oreonympha nobilis)
Tyrian
Metaltail [sp] (Metallura tyrianthina)
Scaled
Metaltail [sp] (Metallura aeneocauda)
Rufous-capped
Thornbill (Chalcostigma ruficeps)
Blue-mantled
Thornbill [sp] (Chalcostigma stanleyi)
Long-tailed
Sylph [sp] (Aglaiocercus kingii)
Wedge-billed
Hummingbird [sp] (Schistes geoffroyi)
White-bellied
Woodstar (Chaetocercus mulsant)
Trogoniformes
Trogons and
Quetzals (Trogonidae)
Black-tailed
Trogon [sp] (Trogon melanurus)
Black-tailed
Trogon [eumorphus] (Trogon melanurus eumorphus)
Blue-crowned
Trogon [sp] (Trogon curucui)
Masked Trogon
[sp] (Trogon personatus)
Coraciiformes
Kingfishers
(Alcedinidae)
Green-and-rufous
Kingfisher (Chloroceryle inda)
Amazon
Kingfisher (Chloroceryle amazona)
Ringed
Kingfisher [sp] (Megaceryle torquata)
Motmots
(Momotidae)
Amazonian
Motmot [sp] (Momotus momota)
Broad-billed
Motmot [sp] (Electron platyrhynchum)
Piciformes
Jacamars
(Galbulidae)
Purus Jacamar
(Galbalcyrhynchus purusianus)
White-throated
Jacamar (Brachygalba albogularis)
Bluish-fronted
Jacamar (Galbula cyanescens)
Puffbirds
(Bucconidae)
Chestnut-capped
Puffbird (Bucco macrodactylus)
Striolated
Puffbird [sp] (Nystalus striolatus)
Rufous-capped
Nunlet [sp] (Nonnula ruficapilla)
Black-fronted
Nunbird [sp] (Monasa nigrifrons)
White-fronted
Nunbird [sp] (Monasa morphoeus)
Swallow-winged
Puffbird [sp] (Chelidoptera tenebrosa)
New World
Barbets (Capitonidae)
Scarlet-hooded
Barbet (Eubucco tucinkae)
Versicolored
Barbet [sp] (Eubucco versicolor)
Toucans
(Ramphastidae)
Black-throated
Toucanet [sp] (Aulacorhynchus atrogularis)
Chestnut-tipped
Toucanet [derbianus] (Aulacorhynchus derbianus derbianus)
Blue-banded
Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus coeruleicinctis)
Ivory-billed
Aracari [sp] (Pteroglossus azara)
Chestnut-eared
Aracari [sp] (Pteroglossus castanotis)
Curl-crested
Aracari (Pteroglossus beauharnaesii)
Grey-breasted
Mountain Toucan [sp] (Andigena hypoglauca)
Channel-billed
Toucan [sp] (Ramphastos vitellinus)
White-throated
Toucan [sp] (Ramphastos tucanus)
Woodpeckers
(Picidae)
Fine-barred
Piculet (Picumnus subtilis)
Yellow-tufted
Woodpecker (Melanerpes cruentatus)
Little
Woodpecker [sp] (Veniliornis passerinus)
Golden-olive
Woodpecker [sp] (Colaptes rubiginosus)
Andean
Flicker [sp] (Colaptes rupicola)
Cream-colored
Woodpecker [sp] (Celeus flavus)
Red-necked
Woodpecker [sp] (Campephilus rubricollis)
Crimson-crested
Woodpecker [sp] (Campephilus melanoleucos)
Passeriformes
Ovenbirds
(Furnariidae)
Cream-winged
Cinclodes [sp] (Cinclodes albiventris)
Pale-legged
Hornero [sp] (Furnarius leucopus)
Tawny
Tit-spinetail (Leptasthenura yanacensis)
White-browed
Tit-spinetail (Leptasthenura xenothorax)
Puna
Thistletail (Asthenes helleri)
Rusty-fronted
Canastero (Asthenes ottonis)
Line-fronted
Canastero [sp] (Asthenes urubambensis)
Junin
Canastero (Asthenes virgata)
Scribble-tailed
Canastero (Asthenes maculicauda)
Azara's
Spinetail [sp] (Synallaxis azarae)
Cabanis's
Spinetail [sp] (Synallaxis cabanisi)
Plain-crowned
Spinetail [sp] (Synallaxis gujanensis)
Marcapata
Spinetail [sp] (Cranioleuca marcapatae)
Creamy-crested
Spinetail [sp] (Cranioleuca albicapilla)
Yellow-chinned
Spinetail [sp] (Certhiaxis cinnamomeus)
Wren-like
Rushbird [sp] (Phleocryptes melanops)
Rusty-winged
Barbtail [sp] (Premnornis guttuliger)
Spotted
Barbtail [sp] (Premnoplex brunnescens)
Pearled
Treerunner [sp] (Margarornis squamiger)
Streaked
Tuftedcheek [sp] (Pseudocolaptes boissonneautii)
Montane
Foliage-gleaner [sp] (Anabacerthia striaticollis)
Buff-browed
Foliage-gleaner [sp] (Syndactyla rufosuperciliata)
Eastern
Woodhaunter [subulatus] (Hyloctistes subulatus subulatus)
Rufous-rumped
Foliage-gleaner [sp] (Philydor erythrocercum)
Bamboo
Foliage-gleaner (Anabazenops dorsalis)
Striped
Treehunter [sp] (Thripadectes holostictus)
Chestnut-crowned
Foliage-gleaner [sp] (Automolus rufipileatus)
Tawny-throated
Leaftosser [sp] (Sclerurus mexicanus)
Plain Xenops
[sp] (Xenops minutus)
Streaked
Xenops [sp] (Xenops rutilans)
Plain-brown
Woodcreeper [sp] (Dendrocincla fuliginosa)
Olivaceous
Woodcreeper [sp] (Sittasomus griseicapillus)
Wedge-billed
Woodcreeper [sp] (Glyphorynchus spirurus)
Cinnamon-throated
Woodcreeper [sp] (Dendrexetastes rufigula)
Straight-billed
Woodcreeper [sp] (Dendroplex picus)
Ocellated
Woodcreeper [sp] (Xiphorhynchus ocellatus)
Elegant
Woodcreeper [sp] (Xiphorhynchus elegans)
Lafresnaye's
Woodcreeper [guttatoides] (Xiphorhynchus guttatus guttatoides)
Olive-backed
Woodcreeper [sp] (Xiphorhynchus triangularis)
Montane
Woodcreeper [sp] (Lepidocolaptes lacrymiger)
Lineated
Woodcreeper [sp] (Lepidocolaptes albolineatus)
Red-billed
Scythebill [sp] (Campylorhamphus trochilirostris)
Typical
Antbirds (Thamnophilidae)
Fasciated
Antshrike [sp] (Cymbilaimus lineatus)
Bamboo
Antshrike (Cymbilaimus sanctaemariae)
Great
Antshrike [sp] (Taraba major)
Barred
Antshrike [sp] (Thamnophilus doliatus)
Plain-winged
Antshrike [sp] (Thamnophilus schistaceus)
Bluish-slate
Antshrike (Thamnomanes schistogynus)
Spot-winged
Antshrike [sp] (Pygiptila stellaris)
White-eyed
Antwren [sp] (Epinecrophylla leucophthalma)
Rufous-tailed
Antwren [sp] (Epinecrophylla erythrura)
Pygmy Antwren
(Myrmotherula brachyura)
Amazonian
Streaked Antwren (Myrmotherula multostriata)
White-flanked
Antwren [sp] (Myrmotherula axillaris)
Grey Antwren
[sp] (Myrmotherula menetriesii)
Striated
Antbird [sp] (Drymophila devillei)
Yellow-rumped
Antwren (Terenura sharpei)
Grey Antbird
[sp] (Cercomacra cinerascens)
Blackish
Antbird [fuscicauda] (Cercomacra nigrescens fuscicauda)
Black Antbird
[sp] (Cercomacra serva)
Manu Antbird
(Cercomacra manu)
White-backed
Fire-eye [sp] (Pyriglena leuconota)
White-browed
Antbird [sp] (Myrmoborus leucophrys)
Yellow-breasted
Warbling Antbird [sp] (Hypocnemis subflava)
Band-tailed
Antbird [sp] (Hypocnemoides maculicauda)
White-lined
Antbird (Percnostola lophotes)
Brownish-headed
Antbird (Schistocichla brunneiceps)
Black-throated
Antbird [sp] (Myrmeciza atrothorax)
White-throated
Antbird [sp] (Gymnopithys salvini)
Antthrushes
(Formicariidae)
Black-faced
Antthrush [sp] (Formicarius analis)
Rufous-breasted
Antthrush [sp] (Formicarius rufipectus)
Antpittas
(Grallariidae)
Scaled
Antpitta [sp] (Grallaria guatimalensis)
Stripe-headed
Antpitta [sp] (Grallaria andicolus)
Red-and-white
Antpitta (Grallaria erythroleuca)
Thrush-like
Antpitta [sp] (Myrmothera campanisona)
Gnateaters
(Conopophagidae)
Ash-throated
Gnateater (Conopophaga peruviana)
Tapaculos
(Rhinocryptidae)
Rusty-belted
Tapaculo [sp] (Liosceles thoracicus)
Trilling
Tapaculo (Scytalopus parvirostris)
Tyrant
Flycatchers (Tyrannidae)
Large Elaenia
(Elaenia spectabilis)
Small-billed
Elaenia (Elaenia parvirostris)
Sierran
Elaenia [sp] (Elaenia pallatangae)
White-lored
Tyrannulet (Ornithion inerme)
White-throated
Tyrannulet [sp] (Mecocerculus leucophrys)
White-banded
Tyrannulet [sp] (Mecocerculus stictopterus)
Ash-breasted
Tit-tyrant [sp] (Anairetes alpinus)
Tufted
Tit-tyrant [sp] (Anairetes parulus)
Unstreaked
Tit-tyrant [sp] (Anairetes agraphia)
Mouse-colored
Tyrannulet [wagae] (Phaeomyias murina wagae)
Subtropical
Doradito (Pseudocolopteryx acutipennis)
Ringed
Antpipit [sp] (Corythopis torquatus)
Bolivian
Tyrannulet [sp] (Zimmerius bolivianus)
Variegated
Bristle Tyrant [sp] (Pogonotriccus poecilotis)
Cinnamon-faced
Tyrannulet (Phylloscartes parkeri)
Streak-necked
Flycatcher [sp] (Mionectes striaticollis)
Olive-striped
Flycatcher [sp] (Mionectes olivaceus)
Ochre-bellied
Flycatcher [sp] (Mionectes oleagineus)
Sepia-capped
Flycatcher [sp] (Leptopogon amaurocephalus)
Slaty-capped
Flycatcher [sp] (Leptopogon superciliaris)
Inca
Flycatcher (Leptopogon taczanowskii)
Amazonian
Scrub Flycatcher (Sublegatus obscurior)
Plain Inezia
(Inezia inornata)
Bran-colored
Flycatcher [sp] (Myiophobus fasciatus)
Ochraceous-breasted
Flycatcher (Nephelomyias ochraceiventris)
Many-colored
Rush Tyrant [sp] (Tachuris rubrigastra)
Black-throated
Tody-tyrant [sp] (Hemitriccus granadensis)
Short-tailed
Pygmy Tyrant [sp] (Myiornis ecaudatus)
Scale-crested
Pygmy Tyrant [sp] (Lophotriccus pileatus)
White-cheeked
Tody-flycatcher (Poecilotriccus albifacies)
Rusty-fronted
Tody-flycatcher [sp] (Poecilotriccus latirostris)
Black-backed
Tody-flycatcher (Poecilotriccus pulchellus)
Olivaceous
Flatbill [sp] (Rhynchocyclus olivaceus)
Fulvous-breasted
Flatbill (Rhynchocyclus fulvipectus)
Yellow-olive
Flatbill [sp] (Tolmomyias sulphurescens)
Mato Grosso
Flatbill (Tolmomyias sulphurescens pallescens)
Olive-faced
Flatbill [zimmeri] (Tolmomyias viridiceps zimmeri)
White-crested
Spadebill [sp] (Platyrinchus platyrhynchos)
Cinnamon
Flycatcher [sp] (Pyrrhomyias cinnamomeus)
Black Phoebe
[sp] (Sayornis nigricans)
Western Wood
Pewee [sp] (Contopus sordidulus)
Eastern Wood
Pewee (Contopus virens)
Vermilion
Flycatcher [sp] (Pyrocephalus rubinus)
Andean
Negrito (Lessonia oreas)
White-winged
Black Tyrant [sp] (Knipolegus aterrimus)
Drab Water
Tyrant (Ochthornis littoralis)
Little Ground
Tyrant (Muscisaxicola fluviatilis)
Taczanowski's
Ground Tyrant (Muscisaxicola griseus)
Rufous-naped
Ground Tyrant [sp] (Muscisaxicola rufivertex)
White-browed
Ground Tyrant (Muscisaxicola albilora)
Red-rumped
Bush Tyrant [sp] (Cnemarchus erythropygius)
Rufous-webbed
Bush Tyrant [sp] (Polioxolmis rufipennis)
Rufous-breasted
Chat-tyrant [sp] (Ochthoeca rufipectoralis)
Brown-backed
Chat-tyrant [sp] (Ochthoeca fumicolor)
White-browed
Chat-tyrant [sp] (Ochthoeca leucophrys)
Long-tailed
Tyrant [sp] (Colonia colonus)
Piratic
Flycatcher [sp] (Legatus leucophaius)
Rusty-margined
Flycatcher [sp] (Myiozetetes cayanensis)
Social
Flycatcher [sp] (Myiozetetes similis)
Grey-capped
Flycatcher [sp] (Myiozetetes granadensis)
Great
Kiskadee [sp] (Pitangus sulphuratus)
Lesser
Kiskadee [sp] (Philohydor lictor)
Lemon-browed
Flycatcher [sp] (Conopias cinchoneti)
Golden-crowned
Flycatcher [sp] (Myiodynastes chrysocephalus)
Sulphur-bellied
Flycatcher (Myiodynastes luteiventris)
Streaked
Flycatcher [sp] (Myiodynastes maculatus)
Boat-billed
Flycatcher [sp] (Megarynchus pitangua)
Sulphury
Flycatcher (Tyrannopsis sulphurea)
Variegated
Flycatcher [sp] (Empidonomus varius)
Crowned Slaty
Flycatcher [sp] (Griseotyrannus aurantioatrocristatus)
Tropical
Kingbird [sp] (Tyrannus melancholicus)
Eastern
Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)
Dusky-capped
Flycatcher [sp] (Myiarchus tuberculifer)
Short-crested
Flycatcher [sp] (Myiarchus ferox)
Brown-crested
Flycatcher [sp] (Myiarchus tyrannulus)
Large-headed
Flatbill [sp] (Ramphotrigon megacephalum)
Dusky-tailed
Flatbill (Ramphotrigon fuscicauda)
Cotingas
(Cotingidae)
Red-crested
Cotinga (Ampelion rubrocristatus)
Barred
Fruiteater [sp] (Pipreola arcuata)
Andean
Cock-of-the-rock [sp] (Rupicola peruvianus)
Plum-throated
Cotinga (Cotinga maynana)
Bare-necked
Fruitcrow (Gymnoderus foetidus)
Manakins
(Pipridae)
Dwarf
Tyrant-manakin (Tyranneutes stolzmanni)
Blue-crowned
Manakin [sp] (Lepidothrix coronata)
Yungas
Manakin (Chiroxiphia boliviana)
Tityras
(Tityridae)
Ruddy-tailed
Flycatcher [sp] (Terenotriccus erythrurus)
Black-tailed
Tityra [sp] (Tityra cayana)
Masked Tityra
[sp] (Tityra semifasciata)
White-winged
Becard [sp] (Pachyramphus polychopterus)
Pink-throated
Becard (Pachyramphus minor)
Vireos
(Vireonidae)
Red-eyed
Vireo [sp] (Vireo olivaceus)
Yellow-green
Vireo [sp] (Vireo flavoviridis)
Crows and
Jays (Corvidae)
Violaceous
Jay [sp] (Cyanocorax violaceus)
Purplish Jay
(Cyanocorax cyanomelas)
Swallows and
Martins (Hirundinidae)
White-winged
Swallow (Tachycineta albiventer)
Brown-chested
Martin [sp] (Progne tapera)
Blue-and-white
Swallow [sp] (Notiochelidon cyanoleuca)
Brown-bellied
Swallow [sp] (Notiochelidon murina)
Pale-footed
Swallow (Notiochelidon flavipes)
White-banded
Swallow (Atticora fasciata)
Southern
Rough-winged Swallow [sp] (Stelgidopteryx ruficollis)
Barn Swallow
[sp] (Hirundo rustica)
Donacobius
(Donacobiidae)
Black-capped
Donacobius [sp] (Donacobius atricapilla)
Wrens
(Troglodytidae)
Thrush-like
Wren [sp] (Campylorhynchus turdinus)
Grey-mantled
Wren [sp] (Odontorchilus branickii)
Sedge Wren
[sp] (Cistothorus platensis)
Inca Wren
(Pheugopedius eisenmanni)
Moustached
Wren [sp] (Pheugopedius genibarbis)
House Wren
[sp] (Troglodytes aedon)
Mountain Wren
[sp] (Troglodytes solstitialis)
Grey-breasted
Wood Wren [sp] (Henicorhina leucophrys)
Southern
Nightingale-wren [sp] (Microcerculus marginatus)
Musician Wren
[sp] (Cyphorhinus arada)
Gnatcatchers
(Polioptilidae)
Tawny-faced
Gnatwren [sp] (Microbates cinereiventris)
Thrushes
(Turdidae)
Andean
Solitaire [sp] (Myadestes ralloides)
White-eared
Solitaire (Entomodestes leucotis)
Great Thrush
[sp] (Turdus fuscater)
Chiguanco
Thrush [sp] (Turdus chiguanco)
Creamy-bellied
Thrush (Turdus amaurochalinus)
Black-billed
Thrush [sp] (Turdus ignobilis)
Finches,
Siskins and Crossbills (Fringillidae)
White-lored
Euphonia [sp] (Euphonia chrysopasta)
Orange-bellied
Euphonia [sp] (Euphonia xanthogaster)
Rufous-bellied
Euphonia [sp] (Euphonia rufiventris)
Blue-naped
Chlorophonia [sp] (Chlorophonia cyanea)
Hooded Siskin
[sp] (Carduelis magellanica)
Olivaceous
Siskin (Carduelis olivacea)
New World
Warblers (Parulidae)
Tropical
Parula [sp] (Setophaga pitiayumi)
Citrine
Warbler [sp] (Myiothlypis luteoviridis)
Pale-legged
Warbler [sp] (Myiothlypis signata)
Two-banded
Warbler [sp] (Myiothlypis bivittata)
Cuzco Warbler
(Myiothlypis chrysogaster)
Russet-crowned
Warbler [sp] (Myiothlypis coronata)
Three-striped
Warbler [sp] (Basileuterus tristriatus)
Slate-throated
Whitestart [sp] (Myioborus miniatus)
Spectacled
Whitestart [sp] (Myioborus melanocephalus)
Oropendolas,
Orioles and New World Blackbirds (Icteridae)
Casqued
Oropendola (Clypicterus oseryi)
Crested Oropendola
[sp] (Psarocolius decumanus)
Dusky-green
Oropendola (Psarocolius atrovirens)
Russet-backed
Oropendola [sp] (Psarocolius angustifrons)
Russet-backed
Oropendola (Psarocolius angustifrons alfredi)
Olive
Oropendola [sp] (Psarocolius bifasciatus)
Yellow-rumped
Cacique [sp] (Cacicus cela)
Orange-backed
Troupial [sp] (Icterus croconotus)
Pale-eyed
Blackbird (Agelasticus xanthophthalmus)
Yellow-winged
Blackbird [sp] (Agelasticus thilius)
Giant Cowbird
[sp] (Molothrus oryzivorus)
Shiny Cowbird
[sp] (Molothrus bonariensis)
Buntings and
New World Sparrows (Emberizidae)
Rufous-collared
Sparrow [sp] (Zonotrichia capensis)
Yellow-browed
Sparrow [sp] (Ammodramus aurifrons)
Slaty Brush
Finch [taczanowskii] (Atlapetes schistaceus taczanowskii)
Grey-eared
Brush Finch (Atlapetes melanolaemus)
Common Bush
Tanager [sp] (Chlorospingus ophthalmicus)
Yellow-whiskered
Bush Tanager [sp] (Chlorospingus parvirostris)
Yellow-throated
Bush Tanager [sp] (Chlorospingus flavigularis)
Tanagers
(Thraupidae)
Red-capped
Cardinal [gularis] (Paroaria gularis gularis)
Magpie
Tanager [sp] (Cissopis leverianus)
Slaty Tanager
(Creurgops dentatus)
Parodi's
Hemispingus (Hemispingus parodii)
Superciliaried
Hemispingus [urubambae] (Hemispingus superciliaris urubambae)
Black-eared
Hemispingus [sp] (Hemispingus melanotis)
Drab
Hemispingus (Hemispingus xanthophthalmus)
Three-striped
Hemispingus (Hemispingus trifasciatus)
Orange-headed
Tanager [sp] (Thlypopsis sordida)
Rust-and-yellow
Tanager (Thlypopsis ruficeps)
Black-goggled
Tanager (Trichothraupis melanops)
White-shouldered
Tanager [sp] (Tachyphonus luctuosus)
White-winged
Shrike-tanager [sp] (Lanio versicolor)
Masked
Crimson Tanager (Ramphocelus nigrogularis)
Silver-beaked
Tanager [sp] (Ramphocelus carbo)
Blue-grey
Tanager [sp] (Thraupis episcopus)
Palm Tanager
[sp] (Thraupis palmarum)
Blue-capped
Tanager [sp] (Thraupis cyanocephala)
Blue-and-yellow
Tanager [sp] (Thraupis bonariensis)
Hooded
Mountain Tanager [sp] (Buthraupis montana)
Scarlet-bellied
Mountain Tanager [sp] (Anisognathus igniventris)
Grass-green
Tanager [sp] (Chlorornis riefferii)
Chestnut-bellied
Mountain Tanager (Delothraupis castaneoventris)
Yellow-throated
Tanager (Iridosornis analis)
Fawn-breasted
Tanager [sp] (Pipraeidea melanonota)
Orange-eared
Tanager [sp] (Chlorochrysa calliparaea)
Turquoise
Tanager [sp] (Tangara mexicana)
Paradise
Tanager [sp] (Tangara chilensis)
Green-and-gold
Tanager [sp] (Tangara schrankii)
Golden
Tanager [sp] (Tangara arthus)
Saffron-crowned
Tanager [sp] (Tangara xanthocephala)
Spotted
Tanager [sp] (Tangara punctata)
Bay-headed
Tanager [sp] (Tangara gyrola)
Golden-naped
Tanager [sp] (Tangara ruficervix)
Blue-necked
Tanager [sp] (Tangara cyanicollis)
Beryl-spangled
Tanager [sp] (Tangara nigroviridis)
Blue-and-black
Tanager [sp] (Tangara vassorii)
Swallow
Tanager [sp] (Tersina viridis)
Black-faced
Dacnis (Dacnis lineata)
Yellow-bellied
Dacnis (Dacnis flaviventer)
Blue Dacnis
[sp] (Dacnis cayana)
Purple
Honeycreeper [sp] (Cyanerpes caeruleus)
Green
Honeycreeper [sp] (Chlorophanes spiza)
Cinereous
Conebill [sp] (Conirostrum cinereum)
White-browed
Conebill (Conirostrum ferrugineiventre)
Blue-backed
Conebill [sp] (Conirostrum sitticolor)
Capped Conebill
[sp] (Conirostrum albifrons)
Giant
Conebill (Oreomanes fraseri)
Moustached
Flowerpiercer [sp] (Diglossa mystacalis)
Moustached
Flowerpiercer [albilinea] (Diglossa mystacalis albilinea)
Black-throated
Flowerpiercer [sp] (Diglossa brunneiventris)
Bluish
Flowerpiercer [sp] (Diglossa caerulescens)
Masked
Flowerpiercer [sp] (Diglossa cyanea)
Peruvian
Sierra Finch [sp] (Phrygilus punensis)
Plumbeous
Sierra Finch [sp] (Phrygilus unicolor)
Ash-breasted
Sierra Finch [sp] (Phrygilus plebejus)
White-winged
Diuca Finch [sp] (Diuca speculifera)
Chestnut-breasted
Mountain Finch (Poospiza caesar)
Greenish
Yellow Finch [sp] (Sicalis olivascens)
Saffron Finch
[sp] (Sicalis flaveola)
Blue-black
Grassquit [sp] (Volatinia jacarina)
Black-and-white
Seedeater (Sporophila luctuosa)
Double-collared
Seedeater [sp] (Sporophila caerulescens)
Chestnut-bellied
Seedeater (Sporophila castaneiventris)
Chestnut-bellied
Seed Finch [sp] (Oryzoborus angolensis)
Black-billed
Seed Finch [sp] (Oryzoborus atrirostris)
Band-tailed
Seedeater [sp] (Catamenia analis)
Plain-colored
Seedeater [sp] (Catamenia inornata)
Cardinals,
Grosbeaks & Allies (Cardinalidae)
Black-backed
Grosbeak [sp] (Pheucticus aureoventris)
Buff-throated
Saltator [sp] (Saltator maximus)
Greyish
Saltator [sp] (Saltator coerulescens)
Golden-billed
Saltator [sp] (Saltator aurantiirostris)
