This site uses cookies to improve your experience. To help us insure we adhere to various privacy regulations, please select your country/region of residence. If you do not select a country, we will assume you are from the United States. Select your Cookie Settings or view our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Used for the proper function of the website
Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Strictly Necessary: Used for the proper function of the website
Performance/Analytics: Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
Guyana is an Amerindian word meaning “land of many waters” but it could just as easily mean “land of many birds”. That’s because this fascinating part-Caribbean, part-south American country holds well over 800 species of avifauna making it without doubt one of my top three countries in all of the continent to visit. Guyana is WILD.
Visiting Guyana brought with it the unavoidable expectation of seeing some mind boggling species – some endangered, some emblematic, others downright bizarre. Before we boarded the flight to Guyana we already knew that probabilities of seeing one of the target species was slashed to near zero. And waited.
Ardent readers of this blog would realise by now that I have been chronicling a few days spent in Guyana last year – I felt that a single post or two would invariably exclude far too many sightings of note. Familiar, but beautiful regardless: Blue-headed Parrot Another small parrot species landed on a tree in the distance.
After leaving our hotel in the dark, we arrived at the small dock about half hour after sunrise – making one of many salient points about birding in Guyana: the country is vast! The main target as we drifted downriver was the enigmatic and prehistoric Hoatzin – national bird of Guyana and an absolute treat for the eyes.
The millions of stars and galaxies twinkling over the Rupununi Savanna in Guyana seem to reluctantly fade into a gradually lightening sky as the eastern horizon reddens. But we are on the lookout for one of Guyana’s famed giants, the Giant Anteater – which uncharacteristically never showed.
Being relatively close to the city is a bit misleading, as this may lead one to think that the area is devoid of life – but let this be a gentle reminder that Guyana is 85% forested! On the slow crawl into the farm, the first sighting was a small group of Green Ibis – a new species for me. In a palm tree, obviously.
Guyana’s capital city of Georgetown, a quaint, sprawling network of roads and waterways is a regulated introduction to the country’s 800+ species of birds. Wing-barred Seedeater was formerly a common sight on Tobago but intensive trapping for the pet trade has extirpated the species from that island.
These and several other species might end up being armchair ticks if and when we take a closer look at their evolutionary history. Taxa that could end up being split into one species occurring north of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, and one south of the isthmus. (2). Two subspecies of the same species that differ within Costa Rica. (4).
Although by this time we had already clocked around a hundred species after a day and a half in Guyana, we were understandably eager to explore the famous rugged interior of the country. It was only after reading up on the species I realised that it was not only me who thought this way. Go owling, naturally!
On a high after waking up in Guyana’s wild interior for the first time – with a spectacular morning of birding already under our belts – we resumed our southerly journey with full bellies. I had dreams of photographing this species, as I knew there were a few that notoriously frequented the grounds at Atta Lodge.
Some species opt for the traditional oven-shaped nest (hence the family name), others use tunnels in embankments, some species build advanced and complicated structures to deter brood parasites. Life is simple with ten furnariids – neighboring Guyana has 44! Perhaps even more diverse is their nesting habits.
In such a case, you might opt to book an eastbound flight, or a series of flights, from Lisbon to Sao Tome and Principe, Ghana, Rwanda, Uganda, then Sri Lanka, Thailand, Borneo, PNG, Tahiti, Ecuador, Guyana and finally to Costa Rica…. The main island of Sao Tome has about 100 species and 17 endemics among them. for savanna species.
The quiet village of Moco-moco in southwest Guyana was the most southerly point of our sojourn into the landlocked country some months ago. I was excited to land my first Laughing Falcon , a charismatic species that I had been drooling over for years. A lek of which species? The post Moco-moco first appeared on 10,000 Birds.
In Guyana, this concept holds true partly because of the untamed nature of the place and also due to the fact that feeder set-ups simply aren’t that prevalent. Being one of the most obscene looking members of the enigmatic cotinga family and endemic to the Guianan shield, the Capuchinbird is a target species for many.
For these stunning birds are not easily found outside of the Guianas which includes Suriname, Guyana and French Guiana. On a trip to Suriname to find and film some of these spectacular species I was blown away by the birding. Suriname has approximately 735 recorded species, with many more to still be added to its total list.
From there, we entered a side tributary full of Ringed and Amazon Kingfishers , with Chestnut-fronted and Scarlet Macaws in flight… and then the noise: groans, croaks and grunts… and the smell… of this 65 million years old species, so old that the last dinosaurs must have fed on them!
It is my best bird because it is just such an incredible species, and looking at it made me realize that I had temporarily stopped to fully appreciate birds during the stressful last few years. This year I watched them from the day they arrived , until two chicks successfully hatched, the northernmost breeding record for the species.
Hudson; and a primer on geological history, including the continuing zoological effects of the “Great American Biotic Interchange”; and a travelogue of an extraordinary river trip through Guyana. English is the official language of Guyana, with a distinctive cadence and idiom.
It divides countries into categories, where the next category has 200 more species. In some cases the data are outdated, e.g. Costa Rica has 900 and not 800 species, but I made no corrections, remaining faithful to the original map data. Shown as a list, it looks like this: Less than 200 bird species: Antarctica; oceanic islands.
Colombia is one of those countries that Dragan’s dreams are made of: it has 1,965 bird species – more than any other country in the world. Among them are 94 endemics and 101 near-endemics, four introduced species and only 42 vagrants. No matter how big your avian-related library is, this would be a terrific addition to it.
We organize all of the trending information in your field so you don't have to. Join 30+ users and stay up to date on the latest articles your peers are reading.
You know about us, now we want to get to know you!
Let's personalize your content
Let's get even more personalized
We recognize your account from another site in our network, please click 'Send Email' below to continue with verifying your account and setting a password.
Let's personalize your content