Sharpbill is one of the world’s odd cotingas. Photo: David Fisher
Home to more than 1,600 species—almost a fifth of the world’s birds, 175 of them endemics—Brazil offers one of the most varied avifaunas of any country on earth. New species are being described each year, and as more birders and ornithologists explore this bird-rich country, species previously thought extinct are being rediscovered.
This tour offers superb birding experiences in the Atlantic rainforest, one of the most threatened habitats in South America with only five percent of the original forest remaining. Our time will be spent enjoying the immeasurable array of birdlife while searching for some of the more threatened and endemic species. In Serra dos Orgãos and Itatiaia National Parks and remnant forest areas outside the parks we’ll find a vast diversity of bird families including hummingbirds, cotingas, woodpeckers, woodcreepers, antbirds, tapaculos and tanagers. Different habitat zones from coastal cocoa plantations with remnant forest to subtropical and montane forest will provide new bird species daily as well as frequent encounters with some of the more common species, thus allowing ample opportunity to become well acquainted with the area’s splendid avifauna.
As a first or repeat birding experience in Brazil, this tour, with its diversity and its emphasis on endemics and threatened species, holds a special attraction for birders interested in the Neotropics.
This tour can be taken in conjunction with our tour Brazil: The Pantanal and Rio Cristalino Jungle Lodge.
Day 1: The trip begins this morning at 7:00 a.m. in Rio de Janeiro. After the group has assembled at the airport, we’ll drive north for about two hours, arriving at Serra dos Tucanos Lodge in time for lunch. We’ll immediately immerse ourselves in southeastern rainforest birding as we acquaint ourselves with the birds frequenting the lodge feeders and surrounding trees. After lunch, we’ll make an excursion to a trail not far from the lodge, searching the native bamboo for target species including Rufous-capped and Pallid Spinetails, Sharp-billed Treehunter, Rufous-backed Antvireo, Bertoni’s and Ochre-rumped Antbirds, Rufous Gnateater, Slaty Bristlefront, Black-and-gold Cotinga, Hooded Berryeater, Blue Gray-hooded Flycatcher, White-rimmed Warbler, and Brassy-breasted Tanager. Night at Serra dos Tucanos Lodge.
Day 2: After an early breakfast we’ll spend the day around the lodge and visit some nearby remnant patches of dry forest and open countryside, areas that continue to support a good selection of birds such as the Three-toed Jacamar. While our focus will be on locating this endangered species, the day will be spent further acquainting ourselves with birds of southeastern Brazil including a mixture of tanagers, flycatchers, furnariids, and woodpeckers. Night at Serra dos Tucanos Lodge.
Day 3: Following another early breakfast, we’ll depart for a full day away from the lodge. We’ll spend the day searching for forest species including some higher-altitude specialties like Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper, Giant, Large-tailed, and Variable Antshrikes, Mouse-colored Tapaculo, Gray-hooded Flycatcher, Black-and-gold Cotinga, Ochre-faced Tody-Flycatcher, Diademed Tanager, Bay-chest Warbling Finch, and many others. Night at Serra dos Tucanos Lodge.
Day 4: Our morning will be spent seeking any of the area species we have not yet seen. After an early lunch at the lodge, we’ll spend the afternoon driving to Itatiaia National Park. We’ll spend three nights here in a comfortable hotel located in the park, in close proximity to many of the trails we’ll be birding. Night in Itatiaia National Park.
Days 5-6: Just 125 miles from Rio, Itatiaia is Brazil’s oldest national park, and its habitats run the gamut from Atlantic rainforest to the treeless summit of Agulhas Negras, the second-highest mountain wholly within Brazil. Our days will be spent birding the entrance road and an excellent trail system that winds through elevations from 2,700 to 5,200 feet. From the cacophony of parrots screeching overhead at dawn to the many species of antbirds that make their presence known though distinctive calls, the forest birds will hold our interest throughout our stay. Our efforts should be rewarded with sightings of birds large and small, from Dusky-legged Guans to numerous hummingbirds including Frilled Coquette, Violet-capped Woodnymph, the striking Brazilian Ruby, and Swallow-tailed Hummingbird. White-throated and Planato Woodcreepers, Giant Antshrike, Spot-breasted Antvireo, and a variety of trogons and toucans including Saffron and Spot-billed Toucanets will vie for our attention in the forest, while the hotel garden’s feeders and fruiting trees will fill any free moments. On one day we’ll drive above treeline along the Agulhas Negras road, where we’ll concentrate on finding Itatiaia Spinetail, Araucaria Tit-Spinetail, Black-breasted Plovercrest, Black-and-gold Cotinga, Mouse-colored Tapaculo, Gray-capped Tyrannulet, Blackish Rail, and other species not normally found in the lower or mid-altitudinal zones of the park. Nights in Itatiaia National Park.
Day 7: After a final morning in Itatiaia National Park, we’ll spend the afternoon driving to Perequê on the coast, stopping to bird en route. Night in Perequê.
Day 8: Our focus this morning will be on locating the recently rediscovered Black-hooded Antwren. Visiting sites where this attractive endemic has been found, we’ll have opportunities to see other species including Fork-tailed Tody-Flycatcher, Gray-hooded Attila, and Brazilian and Red-necked Tanagers. Following a picnic lunch, we’ll drive along the coast to Ubatuba, where we’ll be based for two nights. Night in Ubatuba.
Day 9: During our time in the Ubatuba area we’ll visit one or two local fazendas (ranches) where patches of forest have been left among the cocoa plants. These forest patches provide sufficient habitat for some of the southeast Brazilian endemics we’ll seek, such as Saw-billed Hermit, Buff-throated Purpletuft, Festive Coquette, Sharpbill, Blond-crested Woodpecker, Scaled Antbird, and Spotted Bamboowren, among many others. We’ll scan the sky above the fazenda’s clearing mid-morning for raptors, perhaps including Bicolored or a rare Mantled Hawk. Night in Ubatuba.
Day 10: On our final morning in Ubatuba we’ll search for any species we may not have seen during our time on the coast. Following lunch in Ubatuba, we’ll drive to São Paulo, where the tour concludes.
Updated: 12 August 2009
Prices
- 2011 price not yet available
- (2010 price about $4,870)
Notes
This tour is limited to eight participants with one leader, 14 with two leaders.
Overnight accommodation in São Paulo will be arranged for anyone continuing on our tour Brazil: The Pantanal and Rio Cristalino Jungle Lodge. Additional charges will apply.