A birding trip to Santa Marta will provide you with chances to see Santa Marta Parakeet, Santa Marta Mountain Tanager, Santa Marta Woodstar, White-tailed Starfrontlet, Santa Marta Blossomcrown, Santa Marta Foliage-gleaner, Santa Marta Tapaculo, Brown-flanked Tapaculo, Santa Marta Bush Tyrant, Santa Marta Warbler, Yellow-crowned Whitestart, White-lored Warbler, Sierra Nevada Brushfinch, Santa Marta Antpitta, Streak-capped Spinetail, Rusty-headed Spinetail, and the recently described Santa Marta Screech Owl, some of the avian treasures of this mountain. Santa Marta also has its place in history as the cradle of the pre-Columbian Tayrona civilization that occupied the mountains and built the mysterious archaeological site known as the Lost City. Today diverse ethnic and indigenous groups such as Arawak and Kogui still live in the area, keeping ancient traditions.
Many outstanding Neotropical species can be seen on a birding trip to Colombia, such as Andean Cock-of-the-rock, Yellow-eared Parrot, Ocellated Tapaculo, Black-billed Mountain Toucan, White-capped Tanager, Torrent Duck, Northern Screamer, Tanager Finch, Multicolored Tanager, Toucan Barbet, Tooth-billed Hummingbird, Sapayoa, Gold-ringed Tanager, Black-and-gold Tanager, Rufous-throated Tanager, Glistening-green Tanager, Buffy Helmetcrest, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Red-ruffed Fruitcrow, Beautiful Jay, Cauca Guan, Baudo Oropendola, Hooded Antpitta, Black Inca, Turquoise Dacnis, Red-bellied Grackle, Yellow-headed Manakin, Antioquia Wren, Antioquia Brushfinch, Chestnut Wood Quail, Blue-throated Starfrontlet, White-mantled Barbet, and Beautiful Woodpecker, to name just a few.
New species are still being discovered in Colombia, such the new species of Grallaricula antpitta in the Farallones National Natural Park of Cali in 2019. Colombia also still holds untouched regions like the Serranía de Chiribiquete, a group of isolated table mountains in the Colombian Amazon reminiscent of the Venezuelan tepuis and the Colombian Serranía del Darién range near the Panama border, where due to the lack of ornithological expeditions in the last 30 years new species are believed to be discovered in upcoming years.
Unfortunately the magic of this amazing country was clouded by tragic episodes of internal conflicts and drug trafficking, but thankfully those days have vanished like a bad dream. Today the wonderful people of Colombia are doing their best to move their country forward, providing visitors with incredible travel experiences in national parks like Tayrona National Natural Park and Tatamá National Natural Park and a net of nature reserves including Rio Blanco Nature Reserve, Otún-Quimbaya Flora and Fauna Sanctuary, El Dorado Nature Reserve, and El Paujil Nature Reserve. These wildlife areas represent some of the last refuges of the Endangered Spectacled Bear! Colombia also is home to the impressive Museum of Gold in Bogotá, the beautiful Caño Cristales River noted for its striking colors, the colonial and colorful city of Cartagena, delicious coffee, tropical dancing, the literary magic of Nobel-prize-winning novelist Gabriel García Márquez, and probably the kindest people of Latin America. After almost 10 years of running tours in Colombia we wholeheartedly agree with the country’s slogan, “Colombia, the only risk is wanting to stay”.
