Amazonian forest birding based out of one comfortable hotel, with emphasis on several regional specialties, including White-crested Guan, Black-bellied Gnateater, Black-chested Tyrant, Blackish Pewee, Opal-crowned Manakin, and White-tailed Cotinga. We have also seen both Harpy Eagle and Orange-breasted Falcon on a couple of our trips here.

Situated in the southern fringes of Amazonia, between two mighty rivers (the Xingu and the Tocantins), lies a series of forested ridges that comprise the Serra dos Carajás. Rising precipitously out of the lowlands, this formation is home to a unique avifauna that includes some of the most spectacular and least-known birds of South America. Foremost among them is the nearly mythical Black-chested Tyrant, an enigmatic and beautiful little orange-and-black flycatcher with boldly yellow-banded wings and a spiky crest. Very few ornithologists or birders have ever seen this bird, but our scouting trip revealed its microhabitat preferences and produced the first known tape recordings of its voice, and we have been able to show this bird to our last two groups.

The Black-chested Tyrant alone would justify the trip to Carajás, but there are many more reasons to come. Among the many specialties that we will seek are the newly described Cryptic Forest-Falcon, Hyacinth Macaw, Pearly and Jandaya parakeets, Silky-tailed Nightjar, Fiery-tailed Awlbill, Rufous-necked and Collared puffbirds, Blue-cheeked Jacamar, Gould's Toucanet, Red-necked Aracari, Peruvian Recurvebill, Point-tailed Palmcreeper, Brigida's Woodcreeper, Para Foliage-gleaner, Wing-banded Antbird, Chestnut-belted Gnateater, the spectacular Black-bellied Gnateater, Black-and-white Tody-Tyrant, Blackish Pewee, White-tailed and Purple-breasted cotingas, the wallacei subspecies of White Bellbird, White-browed Purpletuft, Opal-crowned Manakin, Pará Gnatcatcher, and Red-billed Pied-Tanager, among many others. Our 2005 trip produced all of these gems, and nearly 350 others.

This tour will be based out of a very comfortable hotel, complete with air-conditioning, hot showers, and ready phone access to the United States; in fact, the degree of comfort here is nearly unheard of for an Amazonian setting. This hotel is situated in a small company town set in the middle of a huge forest reserve that still harbors Harpy Eagles, jaguars, and several species of primates. It is dissected by a number of lightly traveled roads that are ideal for group birding, and which allow access to a variety of different microhabitats, including a brushy caatinga-like habitat known locally as canga. A day of birding in Brasilia National Park on the front end of the tour will provide opportunities to see a number of more widespread cerrado species, and such localized birds as Planalto Foliage-gleaner and White-striped Warbler, as well as the stunning Helmeted Manakin.

Good accommodations; good food; easy terrain; round-trip internal flight to-and-from Carajás, remainder of time at single location; warm, humid climate.