The Road Goes on Forever: April 2010

Angel Falls Bird List

This is a list of birds we saw during the trip to Angel Falls. Don’t worry, I have not turned into Jane Hathaway (the banker, Mr. Drysdale’s secretary on “The Beverly Hillbillies” who was an avid bird watcher). Our guide, Felix Medina, is a bird expert. It was fascinating to watch him in action. First, he had an uncanny eye for birds. While I was scanning the trees along the river for birds, I rarely saw much of anything interesting. Sure, I saw the swifts, swallows and flycatchers that were everywhere (but did not know what types of birds they were) but he would spot the really interesting birds perched on a branch high in the tree. Second, He could call the birds which brought them in a little closer for a look. Third, he was a wealth of information about birds. He knew their names, range, food, how to identify them, everything. Venezuela is one of the top birding locations in the world because of the diversity of its environments and habitats. Venezuela has mountains, cloud forest, wetlands, tropical rainforest, coastal and arid regions (to name just a few). Often these habitats are in close proximity to one another enriching the diversity of the bird species to be found in a given area.

For those interested in birds, Mangoverde is a good site for information (it is also useful for information about insects). The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is also a good resource.

So, here is the list. Most are links you can click to see a picture of the bird and/or get additional information.

Martins

Squirrel Cookoo

Tanagers

Mexican Tanager

Blue and Grey Tanager

Palm Tanager

Flame Rumped Tanager

Vultures

Yellow Head Vulture

Turkey Vulture

King Vulture