Southern Brazil

Curitiba will be our jumping-off spot for exploring the southern Atlantic Forest habitats of Paraná state. Among the numerous specialties that we will search for here are Yellow-legged and Solitary tinamous, Blue-bellied and Red-capped parrots, Ochre-collared Piculet, Canebrake Ground-creeper, Pale-browed Treehunter, Red-eyed Thornbird, Spot-backed and Giant antshrikes, Squamate Antbird, White-breasted Tapaculo, Spotted Bamboowren, Hooded Berryeater, Bare-throated Bellbird, Azure-shouldered and Black-backed tanagers, and many more. Open habitats may yield Lesser Grass-Finch and the recently described Wetland Tapaculo. We will also visit Superagui NP where our main target is the small island where Red-tailed Parrots come to roost every afternoon, over 500 individuals could be seen in their noisy routine to find a good spot to roost. Very few birders visit this park, and we are happy to have the local community involved in the tour as owners of the lodge we will stay for a night. We’ll also visit marshes and restinga woodlands in Santa Catarina state in search of the unique and recently described Marsh Antwren, as well as the highly localized Unicolored Antwren, Squamate Antbird, Restinga Tyrannulet, and Kaempfer’s Tody-Tyrant.

Urupema at Santa Catarina State will be our headquarter in the mountains to look for the Red-spectacled Parrots who come here to feed on the Araucaria pine fruits. 

Rio Grande do Sul is a different world of strange araucaria forests, high plateau grasslands and small marshes, scenically spectacular canyons and enormous lakes and wetlands hosting a spectacular number of birds, resident and migratory, most of them common to southern South America but very localized and rare in Brazil. The birds are equally unique, with such specialties as Plumbeous Rail, Slaty-breasted Wood-Rail, Vinaceous-breasted Parrot, Rusty-barred Owl, Long-tufted Screech-Owl, Mottled Piculet, Araucaria Tit-Spinetail, Long-tailed Cinclodes, Straight-billed Reedhaunter, Black-and-white Monjita, Azure Jay, Chestnut-backed Tanager, Saffron-cowled Blackbird, Chilean Flamingo, Black-necked & Coscoroba Swans, Many-colored Rush-Tyrant, Spectacled Tyrant, Curve-billed Reedhaunter, Correndera Pipit, Crested & Warbling Doraditos, Sulphur-bearded Spinetail, Great Grebe, representing just a few of the many highlights that await us in Rio Grande do Sul.

A variety of habitats encompassing some spectacular scenery, a pleasant, largely temperate climate, good food and accommodations throughout, and one of the world’s most unique and endangered avifaunas combine to make southern Brazil an unforgettable birding experience.