Chile - Argentina 2000 : Birding Trip Report
Birding Trip Report Itinirary Birding Links
Torres Del Paine Los Glaciares Peninsula Valdez Iguazu Los Esteros Del Ibera Buenos Aires

Birding Trip Report - Argentina & Chile

Although we didn't go to Argentina and Chile for birding only, we took any opportunity to spot those birds and we ended up with about 130 species. All the areas we visited offered wonderfull birding opportunities. These are some spots we'll always remember:

 
Torres Del Paine
- Chile   Andean Condor, soaring just above our heads for several minutes
 
Los Glaciaras N.P.
- Argentina   Crested Caracara and Chimango, always on the lookout
 
Peninsula Valdez
- Argentina   Magellanic Pinguins, thousands of them...
 
Iguazu N.P.
- Argentina   Toco Toucans. Not so innocent as they may seem...
 
Los Esteros Del Ibera
- Argentina   The fierce Jabiru, on its nest!


Reference




If you plan to travel to Southern South America, we definitely recommend you to take a Collins Illustrated Checklist with you. If you travel in a group, you may want to take several copies.

Even when, or especially when, your not an experienced birder,
they're worth the fun (!!!).

All illustrations on this page are taken from "Collins Illustrated Checklist of Southern South America". We found it a great tool, though, apparently it's out of print these days. The same author has published a new book, "Birds of Southern South America and Antarctica", and we guess it's as good as the original one.

Forget about buying these guides, in Chile/Argentina. They're available in specialised bookshops only. And if you can find them, they easily cost 60USD or even more.
On Amazon, or a similar on-line bookshop, you will have more choice and you will get them at one third of the price.

More general, but also recommended, are:
"Where to watch Birds in South America" and
"A guide to the Birds and Mammals of Coastal Patagonia".





Bird Report

This part lists all bird-observations by visited region.
If a bird was spotted in both Torres Del Paine and Glaciares, it is mentioned solely bellow under the Torres section.

Torres Del Paine (Chile)

Lesser Rhea Pterocnemia pennata 98-110cm
Buff-Necked Ibis Theristicus caudatus 74cm
Andean Condor Vultur Gruphus 120cm/S3m
Crested Caracara Polybrus Plancus 54-56cm
Southern Lapwing Vanellus Chilensis 36cm
Grey Flanked Cinclodes Cinclodes Fuscus 17.5cm
Cinnamon-Bellied Ground-Tyrrant Muscisaxicola capistrata 17cm
Patagonian Sierra Finch Phrygilus patagonicus 15cm
Rufous-Callared Sparrow Zonotrichia capensis 15cm
Austral Blackbird Curaeus curaeus 27cm
Long-Tailed Meadowlark Sturnella loyca 25cm

Crested Caracara


Buff-Necked Ibis


Andean Condor


Glaciares (Argentina)

Chilean Flamingo Phoenicopterus chilensis 100cm
Crested Duck Anas specularioides 60cm
Spectacled Duck Anas specularis 55cm
Cinereous Harrier Circus cinereus 40cm
Black Chested Buzzard Eagle Geranoaetus melanoleucus 70cm
Chimango Caracara Milvago Chimango 37-40cm
White-Winged Coot Fulica leucoptera 42cm
Magellanic Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus 44cm
Brown-Hooded Gull Larus Maculipennis 42cm

 


Peninsula Valdes (Argentina)

Elegant Crested Tinamou Eudromia elegans 38cm
White-Tufted Grebe Podiceps roland 26cm
Greate Grebe Podiceps major 60cm
White-Chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis 55cm
Magellanic Penguin Spheniscus magellanicus 70cm
Olivaceous Cormorant Phalacrocorax olivaceus 73cm
Great Egret Egretta alba 85cm
White headed Steamer Duck Tachyres leucocephalus 80cm
Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura 65-75cm
American Kestrel Falco Sparverius 29cm
Two-Banded Plover Charadrius collaris 19cm
American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus 44cm
Blackish Oystercatcher Haematopus ater 50cm
Snowy Sheathbill Chionis alba 40cm
Great Skua Catharacta skua 57-59cm
Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus 60cm
Chalk-Browed Mockingbird Mimus saturninus 25cm
Mourning Sierra-Finch Phrygilus fruticeti 17cm


Magellanic Penguin



Mesopotamia & Iguazu (Argentina)

American Anhinga Anhinga anginha 84cm
Black Vulture Coragyps atratus 56-65cm
Swallow-Tailed Kite Elanoides forficatus 55cm
Snail Kite Rosthramus sociabilis 41cm
Plumbeous Kite Ictinia plumbea 35cm
Dusky-Legged Guan Penelope obscura 70-75cm
Black-Fronted piping-Guan Aburria jacutinga 75cm
Red-Capped Parrot Pionopsitta pileata 22cm
Scally-Headed Parrot Pionus maximiliani 28cm
Squirrel Cuckoo Piaya cayana 45cm
Greater Ani Crotophaga major 45cm
Guira Cuckoo Guira guira 40cm
Great Dusky Swift Cypseloides senex 20cm
Surucua Trogon Trogon Surrucura 25cm
Rufous Motmot Baryphtengus ruphicapillus 45cm
Green Kingfisher Chloroceryle amazona 22cm
Chestnut-Eared Aracari Pteroglossus castanotis 40cm
Toco Toucan Ramphastos toco 55cm
Ochre-Collared Piculet Picumnus temminckii 9cm
Yellow-Fronted Woodpecker Melanerpes flavifrons 19cm
White-Spotted Woodpecker Veniliornis spilogaster 17cm
White-Browed Woodpecker Piculus aurulentus 22cm
Lineated Woodpecker Dryocopus lineatus 35cm
Eared Pygmy-Tyrant Myiornis auricilaris 9cm
Tropical Pewee Contopus cinereus 13.5cm
Long-Tailed Tyrant Colonia colonus 21cm
Great Kiskadee Pitangus sulphuratus 22cm
Boat-Billed Flycatcher Megarynchus pitangua 22cm
Three-Striped Flycatcher Conopias trivirgata 15cm
Streaked Flycatcher Myiodynastes maculatus 21cm
Variegated Flycatcher Empidonomus varius 18cm
Fork-Tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus savana 40cm
Black-Tailed Tityra Tityra cayana 21cm
Black-Crowned Tityra Tityra inquistor 18cm
Plush-Crested Jay Cyanocorax chrysops 35cm
White-winged swallow Tachycineta albiventer 13.5cm
Grey-Breasted Martin Pronge chalybea 18cm
Pale-Breasted Thrush Turdus leucomelas 23cm
Creamy-Bellied Thrush Turdus amaurochalinus 23cm
Blue-Naped Chlorophonia Chrolophonia cyanea 11cm
Purple-Throated Euphonia Euphonia clorotica 10cm
Magpie Tanager Cissopis leveriana 28cm
Swallow Tanager Tersina viridis 14.5cm
Double-Collared Seedeater Sporophila caerulescens 11cm
Giant Cowbird Scaphidura oryzivora 36cm
Austral Blackbird Curaeus curaeus 27cm
Epaulet Oriole Icterus cayennensis 21cm


Blue-Naped Chlorophonia


Fork-Tailed Flycatcher


Purple Throated Euphonia


Scally-Headed Parrot


Surucua Trogon

Chestnut Eared Aracari Toco Toucan Swallow-Tailed Kite





Esteros Del Ibera (Argentina)

Greater Rhea Rhea americana 180cm
Rufescent Tiger-Heron Tigrisoma lineatum 76cm
Snowy Egret Egretta thula 50cm
Striated Heron Butorides striatus 35cm
Roseta Spoonbill Ajaia ajaja 85cm
Wood Stork Mycteria americana 95cm
Maguari Stork Ciconia maguari 127cm
Jabiru Jabiru mycteria 140cm
Southern Screamer Chauna torquata 90cm
Lesser Yellow-Headed Vulture Cathartes burrovianus 62-69cm
Red-and-White Crake Laterallus leucophyrrhus 16.5cm
Giant Wood-Rail Aramides ypecaha 48cm
Purple Gallinule Porphyrula martinica 33cm
Limpkin Aramus guarauna 66cm
Wattled Jacana Janaca janaca 22-24cm
Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularia 19cm
Monk Parakeet Myiopsitta monachus 30cm
Smooth-Billed Ani Crotophagu ani 45cm
Ringed Kingfisher Ceryle torquata 45cm
Amazon Kingfisher Chloroceryle 35cm
Green-Barred Woodpecker Colaptes melanochlorus 26cm
Field Flicker Calaptes campestris 33cm
Narrow-Billed Woodcreeper Lepidocolaptes angustirostris 20cm
Cranebrake Groundcreeper Clibanornis dendrocolaptoides 20cm
Yellow-Chinned Spinetail Certhiaxis cinnamomea 14cm
Vermillion Flycatcher Pyrocephalus rubinus 14cm
White Monjita Xolmis irupero 17cm
Spectacled Tyrant Hymenops perspicillata 14cm
Pied Water-Tyrant Fluvicola pica 13cm
White-Headed Marsh-Tyrant Fluvicola leucocephala 12cm
Cattle Tyrant Machetornis rixosus 19cm
Crowned Slaty-Flycatcher Empidonomus aurantioatrocristatus 17cm
Tropical Kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus 22cm
Donacobius Donacobius atricapillus 21cm
Red-Crested Cardinal Paroaria coronata 18cm
Yellow Cardinal Gubernatrix cristata 20cm
Grassland Yellowfinch Sicalis luteola 12cm
Unicoloured Blackbird Agelaius cyanopus 18cm
Scarlet-Headed Blackbird Amblyramphus holosericeus 24cm
Yellow-Rumped Marshbird Peudoleistes guirahuro 24cm
Scarlet-Headed Blackbird Field Flicker


Jabiru


Lesser Yellow-Headed Vulture


Monk Parakeet


Ringed Kingfisher


Buenos Aires (Argentina)

White Necked Herron Area cocoi 125cm
Great Black Hawk Buteogallus urubutinga 57cm
Rock Dove Columba livia 33cm
Eared Dove Zenaida auriculata 26cm
House Sparrow Passer domesticus 14cm

 




 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

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