Venezuela
is truly a bird lovers’ paradise offering exceptional
experiences in the vast and sparse populated interior.
Tropical, wading and water birds predominate but lots
of migrants visit as well. Currently, the country has
1,346 species (more that North America and Europe combined)
including hummingbirds, harpy eagles, cocks-of-the-rock,
capuchins, sun bitterns, bellbirds, trogons, cotingas,
jacamars, macaws, parrots, toucans, herons, pelicans and
flamingos, just to name a very few. The Troupial is the
national bird.
The
Llanos
(grasslands) boasts a huge diversity of avifauna: 350
species have been reported so far including ibises, storks,
herons, egrets, spoonbills, jabirus, anhingas, cormorants,
jacanas, geese, hawks, falcons and owls. The Hato
El Cedral used to be owned by the Rockefellers in
the 1950’s and is literally full of birds and rookeries,
reporting 340 species. El
Frio Biological Station is a not to be missed place
for birdwatchers, reporting 270 species including scarlet
ibises, scarlet macaws and hoatzins plus many birds of
prey. Hato
Piñero is notable for having banned hunting more than
a half century ago and the results are evident in the
owls, macaws, hoatzins and curassows, all part of the
more than 350 species reported.
The
Andes
teem with some 600 hundred species, including the only
high altitude hummingbird in the world, the bearded helmetcrest,
the beautiful Andean Cock-of-the-Rock and the giant Condor.
Combine birdwatching with hiking
by bio diverse habitats in our 6 nights Birding
in the Venezuelan Andes Tour and spot sunangels, quetzals,
parakeets, toucanets, finches, guans, pipits, wrens, manakins
and eagles.
The
incredible rain and cloud forests of Henri Pittier National
Park houses the 40% of Venezuela’s total bird species.
Five hundred and seventy eight species have been reported,
roughly representing the 7% of the bird species of the
world. Endemics and migrants like fruiteaters, harpy eagles,
parakeets, swifts, tanagers, quetzals and hummingbirds
can be seen along interpretation trails and in the biological
station thanks to the Portachuelo Pass, a natural migratory
path for north and South American birds. Stay at the Hotel
Pipo Internacional in Maracay or the Hotel
Hacienda El Portete in Choroni.
The
mangrove environments of the Morrocoy
National Park house innumerable wading and water birds
like ibises, herons, cormorants, ducks, pelicans and flamingos.
One of the most important breeding spots for birds in
the nation, the Cuare Wildlife Refuge, is a component
of the park. Stay at the fabulous El
Solar de La Luna, regarded as the best guesthouse
in Venezuela.
A
convenient distance from Maracaibo,
the Cienaga (Marsh) de Los Olivitos Wildlife Refuge is
the only place in the whole country where the flamingos
nest. The mangroves and marshlands are home to another
110 species.
Los
Roques Archipelago National Park has 92 species, some
of them migrants from North America. Pelicans, kingfishers,
gulls, petrels, frigates, flamingoes, boobies and even
canaries can be seen. Stay at a full-crewed sailboat or
a first class lodging like Macanao
Lodge or Mediterraneo
Guesthouse.
The
Tacarigua Lagoon, three hours drive east of Caracas,
has some 200 species of locals and migratory birds, including
thousands of scarlet ibises, bananaquits, mockingbirds,
oriole, kingbirds, parakeets, sandpipers, plovers, ducks,
herons, egrets, cormorants, spoonbills, frigate, pelicans,
hawks and ospreys.
East
of the country, the second largest delta in South America
after the Amazon’s, the Orinoco
Delta teems with toucans, parrots, ibises (some say
the world’s largest concentration is found here) and macaws.
The Orinoco
Delta Lodge and the Simoina
Camp lets you experience this vast wildlife. Margarita
Island is noted for its endangered but recovering parrots
while the Guacharo
Cave, close to Caripe, is full of oilbirds, the only
nocturnal bird on earth that doesn't eat meat and that
flies by way of an also unique bat-like echo system. Our
7 nights Birding
in Eastern Bolivar State Tour and the 4 nights Birding
in El Pauji Tour lets you experience the wonderful
array of birds present in the unique Lost
World Region, while the exclusive Manaka
Jungle Lodge is an ideal base for Amazon
birdlife.
Contact
us to include birding tours
in a customized itinerary of travel to Venezuela.
