Best birdwatching destinations in South America
Best birdwatching destinations in South America
Amazon basin species and high-altitude mountain trails in South America
South America is the undisputed capital of global birdwatching. The continent holds more bird species than any other, with over 3,400 recorded, and the levels of endemism in certain regions are unlike anything found elsewhere on earth. The tropical Andes alone contain more bird species than the entire North American continent, and the Amazon basin adds an entirely different set of families and ecosystems on top of that.
The variety of habitats is staggering. Cloud forest, Amazon rainforest, Patagonian steppe, Atlantic forest, Pantanal wetlands, Andean páramo, each ecosystem comes with its own distinct bird community, and moving between them over the course of a trip can feel like visiting several continents at once. Entire families of birds exist here that are found nowhere else, from antbirds and cotingas to toucans and hummingbirds in extraordinary diversity.
South America rewards both the dedicated specialist and the curious generalist. Some of the continent's most sought-after species require serious logistical effort and local expertise to find. Others are visible from the road, the garden, or the town square. Whether you're building a serious life list or simply want to experience birdwatching at its most abundant and spectacular, South America sets a standard that few regions come close to matching.
Lists by region
Worldwide (126)
Africa (23)
Asia (14)
Europe (16)
North America (41)
Oceania (10)
South America (19)
National Park in Colombia
Tayrona National Park
Where Jungle Meets Turquoise Caribbean
Where the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta meets the Caribbean, this park runs from dry coastal forest to sandy coves. Birders look for keel billed toucans, motmots and parrots along forest paths. Minca, a hill town about an hour away, is a base for Santa Marta birds found nowhere else.
National Park in Guyana
Kaieteur National Park
World's Most Powerful Single-Drop Waterfall
Protected since 1929, this park is a patch of rainforest on a high plateau above the Potaro River. Orange Guianan cock of the rock gather in the forest near the falls, which drop 226 metres in one leap. Swifts dart in and out of the spray and roost behind the water at dusk.
Country
Guyana
South America's pristine rainforest gem
Most of this country is covered in rainforest and savanna, with few roads and many wild rivers. Birders look for the harpy eagle, the Guianan cock of the rock and the hoatzin. The Atta canopy walkway in the Iwokrama forest reaches treetop birds at eye level.
Outer Territory in United Kingdom
Falkland Islands
Untouched wilderness with abundant wildlife
A remote group of about 750 islands in the South Atlantic, this territory has more penguins than people. Gentoo, rockhopper, king and Magellanic penguins nest here along with black browed albatrosses. Volunteer Point near Stanley has a large king penguin colony reached by a rough drive across open country.
National Park in Brazil
Chapada Diamantina National Park
Waterfalls, Caves and Diamond History
Diamond miners opened this highland in the 1800s and left old trails that now cross canyons and waterfalls. The rocky highland fields hold the hooded visorbearer, a small hummingbird of Bahia's mountains. Trails to Pai Inacio hill give wide views over the same open country at sunrise.
Town in Ecuador
Mindo
Lush cloud forests and vibrant hummingbird haven
A small cloud forest town about two hours from Quito, this is a favourite stop for birders. More than 500 bird species have been recorded nearby including toucan barbets and plate billed mountain toucans. Hummingbird feeders at local lodges attract many kinds of hummingbirds within arm's reach all day.
National Park in Venezuela
Canaima National Park
Tepui Peaks and Angel Falls Wonder
Flat topped sandstone mountains called tepuis rise sharply out of the rainforest in Venezuela's far southeast. Boat trips cross lagoons near Canaima village where parrots and macaws often cross the sky. Angel Falls drops 979 metres from Auyan Tepui and is reached by a long river trip.
Island in Ecuador
Galapagos Islands
The Wildlife Paradise of Ecuador
Unlike most birding spots where birds flee from people, these islands have wildlife that shows almost no fear of humans. Blue footed boobies dance on bare volcanic rock and Galapagos penguins swim near the equator. Darwin's finches helped shape his ideas about evolution and still hop around visitors' feet.
Nature Reserve in Argentina
Peninsula Valdes
Wild dolphins glide over turquoise cliffs
Spring from September to November is nesting season on this windy peninsula, when penguins and seabirds crowd the coast. Caleta Valdes has a large Magellanic penguin colony beside a long gravel spit and elephant seals. Open scrub inland hosts the lesser rhea, a flightless bird that runs in small groups.
National Park in Peru
Manú National Park
Pristine Amazon biodiversity wonderland
Wild and remote, this park drops from Andean peaks to lowland rainforest, so its bird list is huge. Males of the bright orange Andean cock of the rock dance at display grounds called leks. Macaws and parrots gather at clay licks near the Manu River at dawn.
City in Argentina
Puerto Iguazú
Gateway to Iguazú’s Thundering Falls
Guides and drivers here share mate, a bitter herbal tea, at early morning stops before the trails open. The town sits where the Iguazu and Parana rivers meet, close to forest with toucans and parrots. The Hito Tres Fronteras viewpoint looks over the point where Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay touch.
City in Chile
Punta Arenas
Patagonia’s windswept gateway to adventure
Closer to Antarctica than to Santiago, this windy port sits on the Strait of Magellan. Magellanic penguins nest on Isla Magdalena, which is reached by a boat trip across the choppy strait. Seno Otway has another penguin colony and nearby wetlands hold black necked swans and flamingos.
National Park in Brazil
Pantanal Matogrossense National Park
World's largest tropical wetland paradise
The dry season from June to September shrinks the wetlands, so birds and other wildlife gather around the remaining pools. Hyacinth macaws, roseate spoonbills and herons are easy to spot from boats and open trails. The jabiru, a stork over a meter tall, is the symbol of the Pantanal.
City in Peru
Iquitos
Amazon’s gateway to jungle adventures
Founded as a Jesuit mission in the 1750s, this city boomed during the rubber trade of the late 1800s. It has no road to the outside world so travellers arrive by plane or river boat. Boat trips into the Pacaya Samiria Reserve pass herons, kingfishers and macaws along flooded forest.
Nature Reserve in Ecuador
Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve
Amazon wilderness teeming with life
Flooded forest and black water lagoons make this reserve feel more like a quiet water world than a jungle. Visitors paddle canoes at dawn past herons, kingfishers and hoatzins, a shaggy bird with a spiky crest. Lodges sit on the lagoon shores in Ecuador's Amazon so no long walks are needed.
National Park in Argentina
Iguazú National Park and Reserve
Epic Waterfalls and Wild Rainforest
Covering about 67,000 hectares of subtropical forest, this Argentine national park protects a big piece of the Atlantic forest. More than 400 bird species live here, including trogons, tanagers and the rare harpy eagle. The Macuco Trail winds through shaded forest to a quiet waterfall with a small pool.
Town in Argentina
Puerto Pirámides
Whale Watching on Wild Patagonian Shores
Quiet and windswept, this tiny seaside village sits on the Valdes Peninsula beside a wide bay. Nearby coastal cliffs and beaches have colonies of cormorants, gulls and giant petrels. From June to December southern right whales also swim in the bay, which adds to a day of birding.
Island in Brazil
Fernando de Noronha
World's Best Beaches and Dolphins
Dry months from August to January bring clear water and calm seas around this small volcanic island. The archipelago is a national marine park where red billed tropicbirds, brown boobies and noddies nest on cliffs. The Noronha vireo is a small songbird that lives nowhere else in the world.
City in Brazil
Foz do Iguaçu
Where three nations meet waterfalls
Locals head out early to beat the heat and birders follow the same habit on the forest trails. The Brazilian side of Iguazu Falls sits in Atlantic forest where toco toucans and great dusky swifts live. Parque das Aves nearby is a bird park with big walk in aviaries and rescued toucans.
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