A Rainbow of Birds of Amazon and Andes

Is Peru the ultimate country for bird watchers and professional ornithologists? I would say so because, after all, the Amazon forest is located in Peru. I know, Brazil will protest because the Amazon forests spill over there too as it is too big a jungle to put it in one country.

Nevertheless, the Brazilians will have to concede that the Peruvian region of Amazon is the best place to spot world’s most exotic bird species. I read that there are nearly 2000 bird species and each one may have several sub-species. Oh man, what an experience it would be to watch those beautiful birds in their own habitat!

Amazon Jungle Tour

Even in Peru, the jungles of Andes open in two or three regions. Whatever may be your entry point, Peru is the country to land as it leads to that part of Amazon Rainforest that boasts of the highest levels of biodiversity in the world. It comprises most of the world’s most recognized bird-watching observation points. If you buy an Amazon Jungle tour mainly to watch the birds, buy one that originates from Peru. This region of Peruvian Amazon starts from the mighty Andes mountains and runs across Ecuador, Columbia, Brazil, and Bolivia.

Every wildlife scientist and professional wildlife videographers would emphatically say that the Peruvian Amazon is the most fascinatingly beautiful location on the Earth.

In Peru, following are the three main entry points into the imposing Amazon Rainforest:

• Tambopata
• Manu
• Iquitos Region

Do you know that the number of avian species in Amazon forest is more than the combined area of Europe and North America?

Once you have returned from your bird safari in Peru, you would have captured a rainbow of birds in your camera. Some of the birds that are found in the Peruvian Amazon migrate from the Andes mountain range, the Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu, Lima, and Cusco.

Birds of Andes and Amazon of Peru

Now, let us see the range of bird species that you can spot in the Andes and Amazon of Peru

• Parakeets

• Giant Macaw

• Lorikeets

• Cockatoo

• Budgies

• Lovebirds

• Woodpeckers

• Kingfishers

• Andean Cock-of-the-rock

• Black Inca hummingbirds

This is the Andean Cock-of-the-rock. What a lovely looking bird! Looks like a true native of the  Rainforest.

Why is the  Rainforest is home to such a diverse wildlife species?

Animals and birds cannot survive without water bodies for drinking and for prey. Rainforests are usually blessed with perennial rivers. These are such rivers that flow inside the  Rainforest.

• Apurimac
• Tigre
• Amazon
• Purus,
• Mantaro
• Putumayo
• Huallaga
• Urubamba
• Ucayali
• Napo
• Marañón
• Yavarí
• Pastaza
• Madre de Dios
• Manu

The Inkaterra Field Station is a wonderful place for bird lovers to discover and know much about the local endemic birds.

Bird safari includes a stop at Cachuela clay lick where hundreds of parakeets and parrots gather to feed on the clay that is said to be mineral rich too. It’s a must-see place to watch the hungry birds feed on insects and fruit trees.