Bolivia boasts the highest avian diversity of any land locked country with 1382 species and it is possible to see over 600 of them in a single visit. Sitting astride the Andes at its widest point Bolivia is placed at the meeting point of several major biogeographical regions; Amazonia, the Cerrado and Chaco all converge in the eastern lowlands while in the Andes humid and semi-humid cloud forests meet at Santa Cruz sheltering to the west a spectacular system of cactus clad canyons and inter-montane valleys lined with towering snow-capped peaks.
Only sparsely populated, Bolivia offers some of the continent's most exciting birding with a wealth of pristine habitats remaining throughout the country. The Bolivian Andes are some of the highest and most spectacular of all, harbouring a high concentration of endemic, near-endemic and restricted-range species. Amongst the huge snow-capped peaks and volcanoes the magnificent Andean Condor is still a regular sight soaring over canyons and "Chaparral" woodlands. On their eastern flanks these impressive mountains fall rapidly away through Yungas "cloud forest" into luxuriant subtropical forests or arid, cacti-dominated valleys before reaching the eastern regionswhere numerous species of parrots reside.
The lowlands, made up of Amazonian forests, savannas and Chaco woodlands together with the entire vast wetlands of the Llanos de Moxos add to the considerable wealth of natural variety, much of which is very poorly known and certainly conceals many surprises in the future. This great diversity of habitats produces a bewildering array of birds. From huge rheas and tiny seedeaters in the lowland savannas and cerrado to noisy macaws and toucans in tropical forests, scintillant hummingbirds and gaudy tanagers in the luxuriant sub-tropics, secretive antpittas and tapaculos hiding amongst the highland bamboos, a wealth of ground-tyrants on the puna grasslands and flightless grebes and shimmering flocks of flamingos on altiplano lakes.
With thanks to Birdquest for introductory text.
Red-tailed Comet © Paul Jones, from the surfbirds galleries
Showing the 22 Most Recent Trip Reports Posted
Bolivia with Bird Bolivia - June 24 to July 14, 2011, author Paul Jones (added September 24, 2011)
(Blue-throated Macaw, Red-fronted Macaw, Andean Condor)
A Report of Mammals and Birds recorded in Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, Bolivia, October - December 2002, author Surfbirds Admin (added September 23, 2004)
Bolivia and the Brazilian Pantanal, June - September 2003, author Surfbirds Admin (added September 23, 2004)
(Three months backpacking through Bolivia covering as many different habitats as possible)
Bolivia 10 July – 7 August 2010, author Steve Hampton (link created November 16, 2010)
(Sorata, Titicaca/northern Altiplano, Chalalan/Rurrenebaque)
Bolivia, author Clayton Burne (link created June 12, 2013)
(The North Yungas Road, Ixiamas, Trinidad, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Villa Tunari & Carrasco NP, Laguna Alalay, San Miguel Polylepis Forest, Lake Titicaca)
Bolivia - a short visit to Riberalta, November 2017, author Manu Expeditions (added January 27, 2018)
(Riberalta, Bolivia, Horned Sungem, Chaco Eagle, Masked Antpitta, Natterer's Slaty-Antshrike, Rufous-sided Pygmy-Tyrant.)
Bolivia - September - October 2000, author John van der Woude (link created January 25, 2011)
(Sta. Cruz, Comarapa, Trinidad, Riberalta)
Bolivia - August - September 2019, author Manu Expeditions (added January 18, 2020)
(Black-hooded Sunbeam, Blue-throated Macaw, Red-fronted Macaw, Bolivian Spinetail, Bolivian Brush-Finch, Bolivian Blackbird, Gray-bellied Flowerpiercer, Cochabamba Mountain-Finch.)
Bolivia - The Bolivian Chaco, August 2019, author Manu Expeditions (added January 13, 2020)
(Chaco Chachalaca, Black-legged Seriema, Crested Gallito, Chaco Earthcreeper, Crested Hornero, Little Thornbird, Lark-like Bushrunner, Cinereous Tyrant, Black-capped Warbling-Finch.)
Bolivia: The Andes and Chaco Lowlands - October 2014, author Chris Lotz, Birding Ecotours (link created February 7, 2015)
(Bolivia hosts 1432 species, with 20 endemics (including two magnificent macaws) and 48 threatened species. It is without doubt the richest landlocked country in the world in terms of species diversity.)
Bolivia - The Andes and Choco Lowlands - October - November 2017, author Chris Lotz, Birding Ecotours (link created February 18, 2020)
(During our 19-day itinerary we managed to record a list of 505 species, including most of the country and regional endemics)
Bolivia - October 1st - 9th 2012, author Barry Walker (link created December 3, 2012)
(This tour of Bolivia was designed to visit two principal bio-regions in the country from the eastern lowlands of Beni and the dry valles of Central Bolivia.)
Bolivia - The Wild North-east, author Barry Walker (added December 27, 2007)
(Noel Kempff Mercado National Park and endemic macaws)
Bolivia - the Wild North-east, author Barry Walker (link created December 27, 2007)
(Noel Kempff Mercado National Park and Endemic Macaws)
The Republic of Bolivia, author Barry Walker (added December 27, 2007)
(The Bolivian Chaco, Tropical Savanna's, Valles, Yungas and the High Andes)
The Republic of Bolivia, author Barry Walker (link created December 27, 2007)
(The Bolovian Chaco, Tropical Savanna's, Valles, yungas and the High Andes)
Bolivia - November 2012, author Glenn Bartley (added December 10, 2012)
(Bolivia, Red-tailed Comet, Hooded Mountain Toucan, Black-hooded Sunbeam, Rufous-faced Antpitta)
Bolivia - November 2012, author Glenn Bartley (link created December 10, 2012)
Bolivia - 12 June - 8 July 2014, author Stephen Blaber (added August 5, 2014)
(Los Volcanes, RFMR, Siberia, Camino de la Muerte)
Bolivia - July - August 2010, author Steve Hampton (added August 13, 2010)
(Sorata, Titicaca/northern Altiplano, Chalalan/Rurrenebaque)
Brazil, author Paulo Boute (link created April 4, 2008)
(Serra das Araras - Harpy Eagle Site)
Bolivia - Andes, Cloud Forest, Llanos de Moxos & Apolo, November - December 2017, author Manu Expeditions (added April 21, 2018)
(Bolivia, Black-hooded Sunbeam, Blue-throated Macaw, Red-fronted Macaw, Bolivian Earthcreeper, Bolivian Spinetail, Palkachupa Cotinga, Unicolored Thrush, Great Pampa-finch, Bolivian Brush-finch, Bolivian Blackbird.)
No Sightings Have Been Posted for this Region Yet.