Casanare Birds: An abundance awaits you
Colombia is the world’s number one in bird diversity and thus a top destination for bird watching. While Casanare probably is one of Colombia’s best kept birding secrets.
From lush Andean foothills to vast prairies (‘Los Llanos’) leading right into the Orinoco region with its rivers, mangrove swamps and savannah forests, this department boasts with an abundance and richness in birds – from familiar to exotic. Here comes the ultimate sample list.
Geographically ‘Los Llanos’, as the prairies are called, link the Amazonas region with the Andes. They are some of the world’s richest tropical grasslands and feature both mountain species as well as Amazonian birds, offering a diverse and exotic birding experience in Colombia. Here come 20 of our favourite bird species in Casanare. They provide just a glimpse of the region’s diversity and richness.
1. Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber – locally: Corocora)
Flocks of scarlet ibises gather in wetlands and other marshy habitats, including mud flats, shoreline and rainforest – often together with flocks of common egrets (white herons). They gather in trees ‘garceros’ to spend the night in large flocks.
2. Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin – locally: Chenchena)
Recent genetic research indicated that the hoatzin is the last surviving member of a bird line that branched off in its own direction 64 million years ago, shortly after the extinction of the dinosaurs. It’s also known as the ‘stinkbird’ thanks to its complex – and smelly – digestion system which entails fermentation.
They are seen in groups along rivers and in mangroves or mangrove like forests.
3. Jabiru (Jabiru mycteria – locally: gabán, garzón soldado)
The jabiru is the tallest flying bird found in Latin America. While this stork species requires attempts to take off, it is a graceful flier. The jabiru lives in large groups near rivers and ponds, and eats prodigious quantities of fish, molluscs, and amphibians. It will occasionally eat reptiles, bird eggs and small mammals, even fresh carrion and dead fish, such as those that die during dry spells. Thus, jabirus help maintain the quality of isolated bodies of water. They feed in flocks and usually forage by wading in shallow water.
4. Capped heron (Pilherodius pileatus – locally: garza crestada)
The decorative capped heron can be found along rivers, swamps and shallow waters in tropical and sub-tropical forests. They forage as solitary animals for snails, worms, fish and amphibians.
5. Roseate spoon bill (Platalea ajaja – locally: garza cuchara)
It is a gregarious wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family. It is a resident breeder in South America mostly east of the Andes. This species feeds in shallow fresh or coastal waters by swinging its bill from side to side as it steadily walks through the water, often in groups. The spoon-shaped bill allows it to sift easily through mud. It feeds on shellfish, aquatic insects, frogs, newts and very small fish.
6. Black-hawk eagle (Spizaetus tyrannus)
Its preferred habitats include humid and moist forests close to rivers, and several types of woodland. It’s a powerful predator that frequently hunts relatively large prey. It mainly eats large rodents and monkeys as well as bats and birds. The birds it takes can be quite large, such as toucans and chachalacas.
7. Rufous-vented chachalaca (Ortalis ruficauda – locally: guacharaca)
The rufous-vented chachalaca is a member of an ancient group of birds of the Cracidae family. It inhabits woodlands in eastern and northeastern Colombia and is locally known as guacharaca due to its calls. It usually arrives in small groups, makes a lot of noise and is extremely sociable. Guacharaca feed on fruits and leaves.
8. Buff-necked ibis (Theristicus caudatus – locally: Coclí)
This large white-throated ibis feels right at home in the Llanos’ wide range of open habitats, including fields, marshes, savanna and grassland. It’s locally known as ‘coclí’. Coclí usually find a palm tree for sleeping and return to the same tree every night.
9. Burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia)
The burrowing owl is a small, long-legged owl found throughout the open landscapes of Los Llanos. They feel at home in grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, deserts, or any other open dry area with low vegetation. They nest and roost in burrows, such as those excavated by foxes.
10. Orinoco goose (Neochen jubata)
They are resident breeders in the forests of tropical South America. Their preferences are forest lakes or marshes with access to open woodland or savanna.
11. Oriole Blackbird (Gymnomystax mexicanus – locally: turpial)
Locally known as ‘Turpial Lagunero’, this colorful bird resides in grassy areas with isolated trees near rivers, marshes, islands in rivers and gallery forest.
12. Crested Oropendola (Psarocolius decumanus)
This colorful bird inhabits the lowlands of South America east of the Andes. It is a common bird, seen alone or in small flocks foraging in trees for large insects, fruit and nectar. It builds impressively long woven nests (about 125 cm). The distinctive songs of the male include a liquid vibratoCreeeEEEoooooooooo. Both sexes have a loud clack call.
13. Crimson-crested woodpecker (Campephilus melanoleucos)
The habitat of this large woodpecker is forests and more open woodland. A nesting hole is excavated in large dead trees. The entrance is fairly large, about 45 to 50 cm (18–20 in) in diameter, and oval-shaped. The male have a red face and both male and female have an impressive red hair-do.
They feed on wood-boring insects and larvae, as well as ants, termites, small vertebrates and caterpillars.
14. Brown Jacamar (Brachygalba lugubris)
Its natural habitats are subtropical and tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forest.
15. Blue-crowned motmot (Momotus momota)
A colourful near-passerine bird found in forests and woodlands. The call is a low owl-like ooo-doot. They often sit still, and in their dense forest habitat can be difficult to see, despite their size (up to 40 cm). They eat small prey such as insects and lizards, and will also regularly take fruit. Motmots nest in tunnels in banks, laying about three or four white eggs.
16. Chestnut-eared aracari (Pteroglossus castanotis)
This colourful toucan genus can be up to 46 cm in height. It is the greatest aracari and can be found along forest edges as well as in the seasonally swamped Llanos. Their diet consists of fruits, insects and flowers and they are usually seen in small groups of 3-7 birds, making distinctive sounds.
17. Sunbittern (Eurypyga helias – locally: Tigana or Garza de Sol)
This species appears in humid neotropical forests, generally with and open understorey and near rivers and streams. They are strictly solitary and can be seen foraging on the ground and scratching for insects. Their wings have beautiful patterns of suns which gives them their local name ‘Garza de Sol’ (heron of the sun).
18. Macaw (Ara)
These beautiful birds come in various colours. The most common ones we spot in Casanare are the chestnut-fronted macaws (left photo, 45 cm) and red-bellied macaws (right photo, 48 cm). They love the Llanos’ palm forests and are often seen nesting on dead moriche palms. Their diet consists of seeds and fruit.
19. Yellow crowned parrot (Amazona ochrocephala – locally: loro)
This parrot (37 cm) can be found plentiful in the Llanos. They are normally seen in pairs or flocks up to 30 or more and extremely socialable. Their flight looks a bit like a hectic amateur flight thanks to their short wings and they are rarely quiet. Their diet prominently consists of seeds, some fruit.
20. Horned screamer (Anhima cornuta – locally: Arauco)
This large black bird related to geese and ducks releases peculiar calls. The horned screamer’s call, as its name suggests, is a very loud U-WHO or honkingYOIK-YOK. Grassy tropical wetlands are its home. There it builds nests of large piles of floating vegetation anchored in shallow waters.
The birding list of Los Llanos goes on and on and on and we could easily turn this into a book. With about 350 species of birds in Casanare alone this region may well be Colombia’s best kept birding secret. And unlike a trip to the Amazon or other jungle areas the vast flat savannahs allow easy access and sighting of birds, mammals and reptiles.
A trip down the Ariporo by boat, for example, will feel like a visit to the zoo where you can lean back and tick off your list of birds. A trip to our finca La Independencia, just 30 minutes from Yopal, will get you crane your neck and spot herons, hoatzins, hawks, vultures, kites, spoonbills and ibises while at Villa Pepita Eco Lodge at the foot of the Andes an abundance of woodpeckers, chachalacas, parrots, toucans, hawks, herons, jays, oropendulas, aracaris, jacamars, motmots and orion blackbirds awaits you.
Have you done birding in Colombia? In Casanare? Which of the above have you seen yet? And where? We’d be thrilled to hear!
For any questions around birds and birding tours in Casanare feel free to drop us a line here.