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The Colombian Amazon rainforest borders on Ecuador and Peru to the north and with Brazil to the northeast. Leticia, on the banks of the mighty Amazon river, offers excellent features for birdwatching in a region of Colombia home to national parks and Important Bird Areas (IBAs), the area’s predominant habitat is tropical jungle receiving up to 310 inches of rainfall per year.

With over 750 species inhabiting the Colombian Amazon, this region’s bird listing is long and includes many rare species.

The region’s target species are Castelnau's Antshrike (Thamnophilus cryptoleucus), White-eared Jacamar (Galbalcyrhynchus leucotis), Lettered Aracari (Pteroglossus inscriptus), Ochre-striped Antpitta (Grallaria dignissima) and Olive-spotted Hummingbird (Leucippus chlorocercus).

INDICATORSSOCIAL LLANOS

ORIENTALESThe Llanos Orientales (Eastern Plains) is an extensive savanna and part of the Orinoco river basin in Colombia. A vast network of rivers and swamps offer up

birdwatching, even before the white sand forests and local cuisine.This area receives around 100 inches of rain per year in a monsoon system where it rains mainly between April and

the savanna. Given its proximity to Bogota and the ample range of birdwatching options on the plains and the eastern slopes of the eastern Andes chain, the region is becoming a major birdwatching destination. There are

around 470 species of birds in this region and a good day’s birdwatching can net up to 130 species sighted. Particular to this region are the Prehistoric Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin), the Horned Screamer (Anhima cornuta) and the only goose found in Colombia, the Orinoco goose (Neochen jubata). Thousands of water fowl, Jabiru (Jabiru mycteria), Sunbittern (Eurypyga helias), Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) and the Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) gather in ponds, creating a colorful spectacle that contrasts with the plains’ greenery.

AMAZONAS

GALLITO DE ROCARupicola rupicola.Courtesy of: Cristopher Calonje - Colombia Birdwatch.

BIRDSDISCOVER OVER 1920 SPECIES

HoatzinOpisthocomus hoazin.Courtesy of: Cristopher Calonje - Colombia Birdwatch.

Due to its geographical locationDue to its geographical location,

Colombia has a wide range of temperatures and climates:

COLD REGIONS+2000 MASL under 16 °C

WARM REGIONS800 TO 2000 MASL 16 to 24 °C

HOT REGIONSUP TO 800 MASL 24 to 36 °C

POPULATION49.3 million inhabitants (2017 DANE)

OFFICIAL LANGUAGESpanish

CURRENCYColombian Peso (COP)

CULTURAL ANDNATURAL HERITAGE OF MANKIND SITES8

INTERNATIONAL DIALING CODE+57

NATIONAL MONUMENTS1,102 across the whole country

INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE ELEMENTS9

Some of these endemic species include the Santa Marta: Owl (Tyto alba), Antpitta (Grallaria bangsi), Tanager (Schistochlamys melanopis), Tapaculo (Scytalopus sanctaemartae), Parakeet (Pyrrhura viridicata), Grassquit (Volatinia jacarina), Manakin (Neopelma chrysocephalum) and many more!

The Caribbean coast, Isla de Salamanca, Tayrona and Flamencos national parks, are all perfect for birdwatching amidst coastal mangroves and swamps, by the ocean and in dry scrub forests that attract species like the endemic Buffy Helmetcrest (Oxypogon stuebelii), the endemic chestnut-winged Chachalaca (Ortalis garrula) and the

The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is the highest coastal mountain in the world, reaching 18,700 feet closer to the

stars. It is one of the world’s most important endemism regions with 22 bird species restricted to this area.

SANTA MARTAThe western and central Andes

chains are separated by the narrow Cauca valley and the central and eastern chains by the wide Magdalena valley. This region’s vegetation and

climate vary radically depending on elevation, as do

the birds.The Andean region can be

traveled overland or with short

Some of the birds found here include the endemic Beautiful

Woodpecker (Melanerpes pulcher), the Little Tinamou (Crypturellus soui) and the

Colombian Chachalaca (Ortalis columbiana).

Home to over 900 bird species, the Colombian Andes are the gateway to bird diversity.

The Andes is the longest mountain range in the world, in Colombia it divides into three chains that

traverse the country from south to north producing a rugged terrain with peaks up to 5,300 meters above sea level, large high-altitude plateaus,

deep canyons and broad valleys.

ANDEAN REGION

almost endemic Chestnut Piculet (Picumnus cinnamomeus).

Birdwatching along the Caribbean coast and the Guajira peninsula provides an ample variety of habitats including dry tropical forests, mangroves, coastal swamps and desert scrubland.

Many target species are shared only with Venezuela, those on the list which are almost endemic include the Buffy Hummingbird, the Lance-tailed Manakin (Chiroxiphia lanceolata) and the endemic Blue-billed Curassow (Crax alberti) which can be found in Tayrona National Park.

the planets most important biodiversity hotspots as well as one of the most humid with an average rainfall of 300 inches per year in some areas. Choco region is

and the western Andes to the east. For the purposes of this section we have included areas of the Choco lowlands along the

of the Andes, around 650 bird species inhabit this region, including coveted endemic species such as Baudo Oropendola (Psarocolius cassini).Rare species such as Great Curassow (Crax rubra), Choco Tinamou (Crypturellus kerriae) and Blue Cotinga (Cotinga nattererii) can be found only in Colombia.

SANTA MARTA MOUNTAIN-TANAGER Anisognathus melanogenys.Courtesy: Luis Urueña, Manakin Nature Tours.

WHY

Colombia’s geographic and biological characteristics mean that you can birdwatch in 7 different ecosystems ranging wildly from tropical rainforests to Andean paramos to dry tropical forests in a single trip.

Colombia offers birdwatching excursions with guides from indigenous communities, thus incorporating the country’s cultural heritage and providing community-based tourism experiences.

Colombia is home to the largest number of bird species in the world, over 79 of them endemic, and boasts a vast range of ecosystems in a single territory (from sea level up to permafrost).

We have areas dense with biodiversity: Biogeographic Choco, tropical Andes, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Orinoco and Amazon regions.

Colombia is the only country where endemic birds can be sighted in cities, Bogota, for example, contains wetlands where this can be achieved.Birdwatching in a heritage destination such as the Coffee Cultural Landscape, while enjoying the world’s smoothest coffee, makes for a truly unique experience.

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OVER SPECIES1920

AND CARIBBEAN REGION

PURPLE-THROATED WOODSTAR.Calliphlox mitchellii.Courtesy of Luis Urueña, Manakin Nature Tours.

PACIFIC COAST AND CHOCO REGION