Birding in Iguassu National Park & Iberá Marshlands
Argentina
Region
Iguazu National Park
Season
All year around
Duration
10 days from Posadas
Briefing
Day 1: Arrive to Posadas and drive to the estancia (ranch). Afternoon birding in wetlands, "campos" and forests. 4 nights at the ranch.
Day 2: Navigation into the Ibera Marshlands and explore native woods. Nocturnal outing in search of owls.
Day 3: Birding in grasslands and ponds around the ranch.
Day 4: Visit palm groves and riverside forests, and start the drive northwards. Stop at El Dorado.
Day 5: Visit Uriugua-í Provincial Park and stay in a rainforest lodge.
Day 6: Urugua-í Provincial Park, drive to Iguazu across the Atlantic Forest.
Day 7: Iguazu National Park.
Day 8: Iguazu National Park.
Day 9: Iguazu N.P and Puerto Iguazu.
Day 10: Transfer to Iguazu airport and end of the trip.
Tour description
This special journey combines the most biodiverse regions of Northeasten Argentina: The enormous Ibera Marshlands and the Atantic Rainforest of Iguazu National Park. The Ibera Basin covers more than 1.300.000 hectares of subtropical wetlands, palm groves, grasslands and forests of the province of Corrientes, being one of the largest protected areas of Argentina and home of many endangered species. More than 330 bird species have been recorded in this paradise, and during this tour we will stay in a cattle ranch and explore the northern part of the system, where we might also add bird species from the Chaco. Some expected species are greater rhea, red-winged tinamou, jabiru and maguari stork, plumbeous ibis, least bittern, lesse yellow-headed vulture, southern screamer, savanna hawk, snail kite, black-collared hawk, giant wood-rail, azure and purple gallinules, wattled jacana, yellow-billed tern, squirrell cuckoo, tropical screech-owl, striped owl, nacunda nighthawk, pale-breasted spinetail, greater thornbird, crested doradito, white-headed marsh-tyrant, the endangered strange-tailed tyrant, black-and-white monjita, red-crested cardinal, scarlet-headed blackbird and several spe3cies of seedeaters, including the recently discovered Ibera seedeater!
The second part of the birding trip will be a visit to the Atlantic rainforest located in the province of Misiones, the most biodiverse habitat of Argentina, and it is protected by a system of national and provincial protected areas, as well as some private preserves, creating what is known as the “Green Corridor”. Iguazú National Park, close to the border with Brazil, is one of the best locations for birding in this exuberant ecosystem.
A complete net of trails and boardwalks into the forest and around the spectacular waterfalls will give us the chance to explore the dense rainforest, swamps, riverside habitats and bamboo groves during diurnal and nocturnal outings.
More than 440 species of birds have been recorded in the region, and we will have great chances to observe several species of tropical hummingbirds, 5 species of toucans, plumbeous kites, green ibis, rusty-margined guans, black-fronted piping guans, slaty-breasted wood-rails, plush-crested jays, several species of parrots and parakeets, antshrikes, tanagers and antpittas, and it's one of the best locations for seeing the endangered black-fronted piping-guan, among many other species.
During our Iguazú tour we'll also visit a private garden in the town of Puerto Iguazú, frequented by numerous species of tanagers, finches and hummingbirds (more than 12 species usually visit the feeders), and we can also add two extra days for visiting Urugua-í and Cruce Caballero Provincial Parks where we will add new species not seen in Iguazú, such as the Araucaria tit-spinetail and the rare vinaceous-breasted parrot.