Northeastern Brazil Part I: Jan 09—23, 2010

Emphasizes numerous endemics and specialty birds (some described only in the past decade) of the caatinga brushlands and the humid Atlantic Forest habitats of Northeastern Brazil. An extremely birdy region with a highly endemic avifauna, varied habitats, unique plant associations, and scenic landscapes.

Northeastern Brazil is a land of stark contrasts. Its immense, arid interior is dominated by a unique habitat known as caatinga, an association of thorn-scrub, columnar cacti, and huge terrestrial bromeliads, reminiscent of Baja or southeastern Arizona. Red rim-rock formations and towering mesas bathed in the glow of blazing sunsets further the impressions of southwestern landscapes, but it is here that the similarities end. The caatinga teems with birdlife, in a manner similar to the bush country of eastern Africa. Birds are everywhere—from flocks of Comb Ducks flying in formation to a distant marsh at dawn, to immaculate White Monjitas perched atop bare acacias, to Least Nighthawks quartering over the desert at dusk. Just as importantly, they are easy to see!

Gray-breasted Parakeet— Photo: Ciro Albano

At every stop one is captivated by the sheer "birdiness" of the caatinga and by the ease of viewing conditions in this land of deciduous, stunted woodland and desert. But these are not just any birds. The region harbors a highly endemic avifauna that includes some of the least-known and most endangered species of birds on the South American continent. Foremost among them is the spectacular Lear's (or Indigo) Macaw, rediscovered in 1978, and numbering fewer than 250 birds remaining in the wild. Other specialties include White-browed Guan, Caatinga Parakeet, Pygmy Nightjar, Stripe-breasted Starthroat, Broad-tipped Hermit, Spot-backed Puffbird, Spotted and Ochraceous piculets, Ochre-cheeked and Gray-headed spinetails, Silvery-cheeked Antshrike, Pectoral Antwren, Black-bellied Antwren, Stripe-backed Antbird, White-browed Antpitta, Pale-bellied Tyrant-Manakin, Ash-throated Casiornis, Hangnest Tody-Tyrant, Greater and Lesser wagtail-tyrants, the elegant White-naped Jay, Long-billed Wren, Gray-eyed Greenlet, Red-cowled Cardinal, Capped and White-throated seedeaters, and three spectacular endemics: the Great Xenops, Red-shouldered Spinetail, and Scarlet-throated Tanager, each of which represents a monotypic genus. A spectacular recent addition to the known avifauna of the region is the stunning Araripe Manakin (described in 1998), which has been seen on each of our tours since its discovery.

Araripe Manakin— Photo: Ciro Albano

Although the chance to bird the caatinga would alone be worth the trip, it is only half the attraction of Northeastern Brazil. In eastern Ceará, the Serra de Baturité massif is a sky-island of tropical evergreen forest rising out of a vast "sea" of arid caatinga.  Here exists a highly localized and endemic avifauna that includes such prizes as Spot-winged Wood-Quail, Gray-breasted Parakeet, Ochraceous Piculet, Moustached Woodcreeper, "Ceara" Gnateater, Buff-breasted Tody-Tyrant, and many others.  In the coastal foothills and lowlands of Alagoas and Pernambuco, there also exist remnants of humid Atlantic Forest, one of the most biologically unique and, at the same time, one of the most severely threatened biomes in the world. These lush forests harbor an amazing number of endemics and near-endemics, among them some of the rarest and most spectacular birds of Brazil. The scant attention paid historically to this region by ornithologists is evidenced by the fact that four species of birds new to science have been described from a single forest patch in Alagoas since 1979! Our time here will focus on finding these and other specialties of the region, including Jandaya Parakeet, Golden-tailed Parrotlet, Long-tailed Woodnymph, Racket-tailed Coquette, Pinto's Spinetail, Alagoas Foliage-gleaner, Orange-bellied Antwren, Alagoas Antwren, Scalloped Antbird, Black-cheeked Gnateater, Black-headed Berryeater, Buff-throated Purpletuft, White-winged Cotinga, Blue-backed Manakin, Alagoas Tyrannulet, Smoky-fronted Tody-Flycatcher, Yellow-faced Siskin, and the spectacular Seven-colored Tanager. We will make a special attempt at seeing the recently rediscovered White-collared Kite.

Good accommodations, with one night in a simple, but adequate hotel; some long walks over mostly level to occasionally moderately hilly terrain; mostly pre-dawn starts with full mornings of birding, followed by mid-afternoon breaks on most non-travel days; internal flights and some long drives; warm to hot and generally dry climate.