Bird Tour to Northeast Brazil: endemics and local specialities

Highlights of this bird tour to northeast Brazil? Brace yourself, because here comes a list that will win over every birdwatcher. To start with: buff-fronted owl and hooded gnateater around Sobral. Then: the unique grey-breasted parakeet in the Serra do Baturité, the pygmy nightjar in the desolate landscape around Quixadá and the threatened Caatinga species around Potengi. And then: the magnificent Araripe manakin, in our view one of the most beautiful manakins (or indeed one of the most beautiful birds) in South America. The sense of wonder continues at the photogenic red rocks of Canudos with the Lear’s macaw — true bucket list material for photographers — and the breathtaking landscape of the Chapada Diamantina with the hooded visorbearer. And finally we are thrilled by the impressive species richness around Boa Nova.

-> During this bird tour to northeast Brazil we have the opportunity to see 350 to 380 bird species, but we deliberately focus on range-restricted and endemic species found nowhere else. The itinerary is built around this, with the necessary flexibility. For all possible endemics and bird species found only in this part of Brazil, we make serious efforts to actually get them in view.

-> This tour is only suitable for experienced birdwatchers with a good level of fitness who enjoy actively searching for birds and getting the most out of every moment. It is not an easy-birding tour.

-> By planning this tour ourselves and working directly with local guides without intermediaries for specific sightings of the best bird species, we are able to offer this competitive price compared to similar tours from other providers.

A successful bird tour to northeast Brazil? It starts in Sobral, Serra do Baturité and Quixadá

We kick off this bird tour in northeast Brazil with some top species straight away. In the endless Caatinga, a unique habitat type, and from the car we see the first vultures (black vulture and lesser yellow-headed vulture), caracaras, ground doves, anis and southern lapwing. After arriving in Sobral we search for hooded gnateater, a speciality of northern Brazil. We also see an impressive variety of bird species in and around Sobral in the Caatinga, dry forest, wetlands and farmland, giving us a fine introduction (or reunion) with the South American avifauna.

After dinner we are all ears for buff-fronted owl, for which Sobral is an excellent location. We also have a chance here of moustached woodcreeper, a species that replaces white-throated woodcreeper north of the Rio São Francisco, though it is no easy task to find.

The area also holds many Caatinga species. In Serra do Baturité we search for the very localised buff-breasted tody-tyrant, Ceará leaftosser, Gould’s toucanet ssp. baturitensis, ochraceous piculet and Ceará gnateater. We make an evening excursion to a roost site for grey-breasted parakeet, which we hope to add to our list here. We visit Quixadá where we get a second chance at many of these species and can further build our list. We stay close to a stake-out for pygmy nightjar, which we will likely observe resting on the ground here. This is also our best chance to see white-browed guan.

Continuing to Crato, Potengi, Canudos and Sítio

We spend 2 nights in Potengi. On the way we stop in Crato at the well-known water park, which is the place for Araripe manakin. On arrival we make an attempt to spot this species, and on both day 6 and day 7 we get further chances. One thing is certain: we are not leaving until we have had a proper view of this species! In the afternoon we explore the area around Potengi and at dusk we search for several nightjar species.

Potengi has some excellent areas in store for a wide range of Caatinga species. We have a chance of species such as red-billed scythebill, great xenops, broad-tipped hermit and white-browed antpitta. After a final exploration of the Caatinga around Potengi we make the long drive to Canudos Biological Station, where we spend the night. Along the way we stop at a stake-out for blue-winged macaw and look out for the local form of Suiriri flycatcher.

Canudos is famous for the critically endangered Lear’s macaw. The largest population lives on photogenic sandstone cliffs. This is where we experience one of the highlights of the tour: at first light we visit the cliffs to watch the Lear’s macaws wake up and fly around. While waiting for the macaws we hear (and perhaps see) Tataupa tinamou and small-billed tinamou, least nighthawk and possibly scissor-tailed nightjar as well. After breakfast and possibly a brief search for any missing Caatinga species, we drive via a stake-out for pectoral antwren to Sítio, north of Salvador de Bahia.

The reason to include Sítio on a bird tour to northeast Brazil? Well, it holds several fragments of Atlantic forest, where the very rare fringe-backed fire-eye still occurs. There is also a chance of white-winged cotinga among others. In the mangroves we search, depending on the tide, for little wood rail, mangrove rail and rufous crab-hawk. There is even an isolated population of grey-breasted parakeet here.

Slightly west of Canudos lies the reintroduction site for Spix’s macaw, but despite contact with the site manager, visits are not yet possible. At present all birds are also in enclosures due to a disease outbreak.

Birds in abundance in Lençóis, Chapada Diamantina and Boa Nova

We spend a full day around Lençóis, where spectacular views and equally spectacular endemics keep us entertained. On top of the Serra we search among others for hooded visorbearer, and in the afternoon we look for Sincorá antwren in the Campo rupestre. Between Lençóis and Mucugê we spend a full day searching for many target species of the Chapada Diamantina, such as São Francisco sparrow, blue finch and much more.

After a final circuit near Mucugê (Diamantina tapaculo), with a visit to an area for sharp-tailed grass tyrant, we drive to Boa Nova where we stay for 2 nights. In the afternoon we search here for species such as slender antbird in an area with many cacti, which in turn are visited by numerous hummingbirds. Around Boa Nova we notice a strong contrast between the dry forest to the west and the wet forest to the east of the town. We search for Rio de Janeiro antbird, striated softtail and Bahia spinetail. At dusk we visit a well-known site for giant snipe.

Around Poções, barely 30 km further south, we open up a new set of bird species that are typically found further south and deeper into the Brazilian interior, and occur here at their most northerly and easterly point, such as Wied’s tyrant-manakin, Reiser’s tyrannulet and buff-throated purpletuft. We make a dedicated effort to see scalloped antbird (nominate) near Itororo.

And so this whirlwind of a bird tour comes to an end. We freshen up at the hotel, pack our bags and head to Jequié airport for the afternoon flight to Fortaleza, from where we fly home on a night flight, arriving home the following day.