TAMBOPATA BIRDING – SOUTHEASTERN PERU
The great biodiversity of the Tambopata National Reserve means that you will never be disappointed while birding there.
The reserve boasts a wide variety of different habitats including the floodplain forest which are wooded areas along rivers and lakes that are seasonally flooded.
Terre-firme forests are typically higher in elevation and are not flooded by rivers.
This type of forest is taller than floodplain forest and more diverse, containing upwards of 400 species per hectare.
The third common habitat of the reserve is known as bamboo thickets, which are stands of native bamboo that are home to a variety of species that specialize in living in bamboo and are not typically found in the other types of habitats.
The Tambopata reserve offers ample opportunities to explore these habitats and more.
Birds of Peru Tours will take you exploring river tributaries by boat, along trails in the various forest types, or even on a leisurely boat ride around an oxbow lake. On your tour, you will have the opportunity to explore the rich variety of Southeastern Peru. Some of the highly sought-after species of the area include the powerful Crested Eagle and the almost mythical Harpy Eagle as well as opportunities to experience the thrill of a mixed species flock.
Mixed species flocks are a phenomenon that is famous in the neotropics where a wave of multiple species of birds moves through the forest, each foraging in its own niche and collectively looking out for danger.
Some flocks have been found to contain as many as forty different species of birds; truly delightful!
Another avian delight that one hopes to encounter in the area is an army ant swarm. Ant swarms are often attended by a number of different bird species including the family of birds known as antbirds who make a living snatching up insects fleeing the army ants.
Still, need convincing? Check out what this customer had to say about their visit:
Tucson, AZ8 contributions
He didn’t even charge extra for the Crested Eagle sighting!
Sep 2022 • Solo
I had the pleasure of a 3-night birding trip with Cesar in the Tambopata National Reserve near Puerto Maldonado. We recorded 204 species in that short time (and I’m sure Cesar heard a few more that he didn’t clue me into because his microphone ears can hear a wood quail 10 miles away)!
Cesar has an encyclopedic knowledge of all the resident and migrant birds of the area, ready to call in whatever bird that we heard, and direct me where to look. I was particularly impressed by the many times he seemed to conjure birds out of thin air. I tend to think of myself as perceptive and a fairly proficient birder, but I lost count of how many times he’d stop me with his finger to his lips and tell me an ant wren was nearby when all I heard was cicadas.