Amazing Birding in Colombia! 🇨🇴

· by

Having enjoyed several previous birding trips in Central America, we decided to head for Colombia, South America this year.

We chose Colombia for many reasons. . . . .

Colombia boasts the greatest diversity of birds in the world (over 1900 species!), nearly 20% of the total global species (Audubon.org)!! Among the beauties we saw were the stunning Bay-headed Tanager and Blue-naped Chlorophonia above.

On our first day our driver picked us up well before dawn and we met our guide in Minca as we continued up into the magnificent Sierra Nevada Mountains.

We stopped for morning coffee and birdwatching at this welcoming spot nestled in the dense vegetation of coffee and banana trees.

We continued climbing by off-road vehicle through higher and more forested elevations, arriving in time for lunch at Mountain House of Minca where we were surrounded by hummingbirds of all types, including some endemic to the region.

Colombia is the world’s premier hummingbird hotspot, home to more than 163 species, over 45% of all hummingbird species (Birds of Colombia)!!

There are 365 species of Hummingbirds globally, and they are found only in the Americas. “Hummingbirds occur in a wide variety of habitats across the New World, from arid deserts, to dense tropical rainforests, to high Andean scrub near glaciers and snowfields.” (Birds of the World)

Breathtaking views in all directions ☀️

Tayrona National Park proved to be yet another excellent birding destination! Moments after we entered the park our guide pointed out an awesome rare sighting of the critically endangered Blue-billed Curassow!

A terribly fuzzy image with my phone (!), but a great thrill to see.

Among other special finds in Tayrona Park were the Summer Tanager, Tropical Kingbird, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, and Crested Guan

I am a really big fan of Manakins, and watching the dancing antics of this Lance-tailed Manakin was one of the highlights of the trip! He was too quick for me to photograph, but my wonderful guide sent me this little clip of the bird popping out to say hello. ☺️

26 thoughts on “Amazing Birding in Colombia! 🇨🇴”

  1. Wow BJ what an amazing experience to go to this part of the world and see such beautiful birds and scenery. I would so be blessed just to see one Hummingbird but to be in the capital country of them would have been an extreme blessing my friend. There are so many bird species in this tiny part of the world. Thanks for sharing your amazing time.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thank you, AB. I’ve been away from blogging for a few months, but I had to post about Colombia.
      You are so right… It was a heavenly experience all around! ☺️ I hope you and your family are well and you are having many marvelous birding outings!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  3. You were understandably thrilled. I had no idea Colombia is home to more bird species than anywhere else. This is the first time I’ve seen the phrase avistamiento de aves. Spanish takes eight syllables to say what English says in three.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  10. How absolutely stunning – the birds, the views and the vegetation. I really enjoyed your photos of the magnificent birds. I had no idea there were so many species of hummingbird, nor did I know of the richness of Columbia’s birds. How great that you are planning another trip to Columbia.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a reply to Birder's Journey Cancel reply