Los Llanos - a Birder's Dream
Destination
Birds are the undisputed stars of any of our tours. Casanare alone, where we operate, is home to nearly 700 bird species. This accounts for about 36% of all bird species found in Colombia, the country with the greatest avian diversity in the world. Numbers aside, the Llanos are a top destination for both seasoned ornithologists and novice birdwatchers for two major reasons:
- the open grasslands and wetlands of los Llanos with few forests make wildlife observation easy
- many of the Llanos' birds are colourful, relatively large or both. Hence spotting birds is easy and joyful also for beginner birdwatchers and even for non-birders (and it's a fantastic place to get hooked)
Ibises, storks, black skimmers, hoatzins, plovers, spoonbills, whistling ducks and Orinoco geese often gather or fly in flocks -many times in mixed flocks- making for spectacular sightings and offering a special treat for nature photographers.
Ornithologists will appreciate such gems as wire-tailed manakins on lek, horned screamers, crestless curassows, spectacled owls, jacamars, puffbirds, a large array of striking herons and the spectacular wing pattern of sunbitterns.
Ornithologists will appreciate such gems as wire-tailed manakins on lek, horned screamers, crestless curassows, spectacled owls, jacamars, puffbirds, a large array of striking herons and the spectacular wing pattern of sunbitterns.
Seasons
Birdwatching in los Llanos is a fantastic experience all year round and varies depending on the season.
Green Season
During green season from May to October, when food and water supplies are aplenty, several bird species are busy nest-building, mating and raising their offspring -and showing off their prettiest breeding plumage, more striking in colour and appearance. Some species form great nesting colonies, which can be visited on our tours. Notably woodstorks, scarlet ibises, cocoi herons, boat-billed herons, night herons, roseate spoonbills, great herons and cattle egrets come together in thousands to nest in colonies. Our recommendations to experience this are the Llanos Wildlife Tour and the Llanos Essential Tour
Dry Season
From December to March the Llanos' landscapes turn into yellow and brown savannas, with waterholes and rivers petering out and providing abundant fish and crustaceans in the process. In November and December migratory birds arrive from southern South America, North America and other parts of the llanos and Colombia, most notably sandpipers and snipes, black skimmers, fork-tailed flycatchers and eastern kingbirds. During these months it is not uncommon to spot a dozen bird species at a single waterhole and a 100 bird species or more in a day. Our recommendations to experience this are any of our Wildlife Tours
From December to March the Llanos' landscapes turn into yellow and brown savannas, with waterholes and rivers petering out and providing abundant fish and crustaceans in the process. In November and December migratory birds arrive from southern South America, North America and other parts of the llanos and Colombia, most notably sandpipers and snipes, black skimmers, fork-tailed flycatchers and eastern kingbirds. During these months it is not uncommon to spot a dozen bird species at a single waterhole and a 100 bird species or more in a day. Our recommendations to experience this are any of our Wildlife Tours
Our Wildlife Tours are suited to observe a great variety of birds and we can set the focus on birds specifically.
What Birders Say
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"The birding and wildlife in the area are fantastic. My highlights were Wire-tailed Manakin on lek, along with many Ibises, Roseate Spoonbills, Boat-billed Heron, Hoatzins, Jabirus, Sunbittern, Horned Screamers, Common Potoo, and a wonderful Spectacled Owl (and many, many more). Andres was our guide for the 4 days. He is originally from this area, has a great knowledge of the local birds and knows when to be where throughout the different seasons... in addition to being a great guy. I am hoping to visit Colombia again soon, and will definitely add on another adventure with Wild Llanos!"
Roland Kilcher, Seattle, 2019
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"So many beautiful birds: Scarlet ibis, wood stocks, Jabiru, potoo, toucans, Horned screamers, herons, spoonbills, lapwings, and many many others. Even better, you can get up close in many cases. For example, there is a family of burrowing owls right outside of Andres’ farm who is not that afraid of people. Andres is an experienced birder. He can tell many species from their songs – this is how we found the toucans. The most beautiful scene is probably sunset at Hato Berlin. Hundreds of Scarlet ibis and egret settled on a tree on the river bank – and Andres had wine for us to enjoy the moment."
Family Huang, New York, 2019
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