March 7-21, 2026 with Marcelo Padua
Brazil is much larger than most people realize. This continent-sized country is larger than the contiguous lower 48 states of the United States, and boasts the greatest biodiversity on earth, accounting for more than 10 percent of all living species on earth, and ranking as the second country in bird diversity in the world, making it quite hard for any first time visitor to choose an itinerary for a first visit to Brazil.
This tour is an excellent option for those who want to get a good introduction to Brazil. We started things off with a four-night stay at Intervales State Park, one of the largest remaining tracts of the Atlantic Forest and one of the best birding sites in Brazil. Our days here were filled with exciting mixed species flocks and skulking endemics that we managed to view one at a time. During our breaks, we enjoyed exciting birds that were brought into view by our excellent local guide. His feeding stations provided amazing views of rarely seen birds such as the secretive Red-and-white Crake. We collected a vast list of Antbirds, Foliage-gleaners, colorful Tanagers, and we even found a Canada Warbler that was a lifer for our local guide and one of the first records for the state of Sao Paulo.
Our next stop was as much about the scenery as it was about the birds, as we headed to one of the most spectacular natural wonders of the world, Iguazu Falls. We explored both the Argentine side of the falls and the Brazilian side of the falls, and enjoyed fairy tale views of Toco Toucans, Green-headed Tanagers, Plush-crested Jays and Peregrine Falcons chasing Great Dusky Swifts as they dropped out of the sky to roost behind the falls. The trails around the falls also provided some memorable birding experiences, and we even found some of the very local specialties, such as Creamy-bellied Gnatcatcher and Southern Bristle-Tyrant.
The last leg of the journey was dedicated to one of the most famous wildlife destinations on earth, the Pantanal, and we were certainly not disappointed. It is hard for me to choose a highlight from our time spent in the Pantanal, as one could say that the two Jaguars sitting on a river bank were special, or that the amazing beauty of Hyacinth Macaws, the world’s largest parrots, was a highlight, or even seeing hundreds of migrating Mississippi Kites was a treat. Any way you look at it, the Pantanal does not disappoint, with its sheer abundance of wildlife right outside the rooms, with Bare-faced Curassows, Chestnut-bellied Guans and Red-legged Seriemas wandering around the rooms, while birds like Yellow-billed Cardinals, Purplish Jays and Nanday Parakeets crowded the feeders around the lodges.
I had a wonderful time showing you a bit of this amazing country, and I hope you have fond memories of our tour, and that our paths cross again someday on a birding trail in Brazil or elsewhere. Happy Birding!
In addition to all the great birds we saw we also amassed quite the list of mammals seen on the tour. Here is a list of the species we encountered on our tour route:
Black-tailed Marmoset (Mico melanurus)
Black-and-gold Howler (Alouatta caraya)
Brown Capuchin (Sapajus apella)
Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla)
Southern Tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla)
Common Tapeti (Sylvilagus brasiliensis)
Guianan Squirrel (Sciurus aestuans)
Greater Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris)
Azara's Agouti (Dasyprocta azarae)
Crab-eating Raccoon (Procyon cancrivorus)
South American Coati (Nasua nasua)
Giant Otter (Pteronura brasiliensis)
Jaguar (Panthera onca)
Lowland Tapir (Tapirus terrestris)
Common Red Brocket (Mazama americana)
Common Brown Brocket (Mazama gouazoubira)
You can see my complete trip report on eBird at this link: https://ebird.org/tripreport/553369
You can download a combined PDF of this page and the eBird report at this link: https://fieldguides.com/triplists/nut26TRIPLIST.pdf
-- Marcelo Padua