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Bird-watching

Bird-watching in Rio Grande do Norte

Atlantic Forest, Caatinga dry forest and coastal wetlands meet within a few hours' drive, for a concentration of birdlife out of all proportion to the size of the state.

386species recorded in RNSource: eBird.org
Bird-watching in Rio Grande do Norte
Bird-watching

Where three biomes meet

Few places on Earth bring together three such different biomes within a few hours’ drive. In Rio Grande do Norte the Atlantic Forest of the southern coast, the Caatinga of the interior and the coastal wetlands — estuaries, salt pans and mangroves — create a bird diversity out of all proportion to the size of the state.

The Caatinga is the only exclusively Brazilian biome and holds endemic species found in no other country. The best window runs from the end of the rainy season onward (March to July), when the interior turns green and breeding activity peaks. The salt pans of Galinhos and Macau concentrate shorebirds and migrants; the area around Pico do Cabugi and the Apodi region hold the Caatinga endemics.

Bird-watching
  • Red-cowled CardinalEndemic

    Red-cowled Cardinal

    Paroaria dominicana

    Pico do Cabugi · Chapada do Apodi

    Photo: Hector Bottai · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

    Audio: JAYRSON ARAUJO DE OLIVEIRA · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · xeno-canto ↗

  • White-naped JayEndemic

    White-naped Jay

    Cyanocorax cyanopogon

    Serra de Santana · Chapada do Apodi

    Photo: Shanthanu Bhardwaj · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

    Audio: JAYRSON ARAUJO DE OLIVEIRA · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · xeno-canto ↗

  • Caatinga ParakeetEndemic

    Caatinga Parakeet

    Eupsittula cactorum

    Pico do Cabugi · Sertão do Seridó

    Photo: Tiago Lubiana · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

    Audio: JAYRSON ARAUJO DE OLIVEIRA · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · xeno-canto ↗

  • Caatinga CacholoteEndemic

    Caatinga Cacholote

    Pseudoseisura cristata

    Pico do Cabugi · Chapada do Apodi

    Photo: in Alcide Dessalines d'Orbigny · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons ↗

    Audio: JAYRSON ARAUJO DE OLIVEIRA · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · xeno-canto ↗

  • White-browed GuanEndemic

    White-browed Guan

    Penelope jacucaca

    Serra de Santana · Chapada do Apodi

    Photo: vinicius_s_domingues · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

    Audio: Weber Girão · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · xeno-canto ↗

  • Yellow-faced SiskinEndemic

    Yellow-faced Siskin

    Sporagra yarrellii

    Serra de Santana · Sertão do Seridó

    Photo: Antonio Arnaiz-Villena, Valentin Ruiz-del-Valle · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

  • Pygmy NightjarEndemic

    Pygmy Nightjar

    Hydropsalis hirundinacea

    Pico do Cabugi · Chapada do Apodi

    Photo: Johann Baptist von Spix · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons ↗

  • Broad-tipped HermitEndemic

    Broad-tipped Hermit

    Anopetia gounellei

    Pico do Cabugi · Sertão do Seridó

    Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jquental/ · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

    Audio: Ciro Albano · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · xeno-canto ↗

  • Caatinga AntwrenEndemic

    Caatinga Antwren

    Herpsilochmus sellowi

    Pico do Cabugi · Chapada do Apodi

    Photo: Hector Bottai · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

    Audio: Juan Mazar Barnett · CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 · xeno-canto ↗

  • Pectoral AntwrenEndemic

    Pectoral Antwren

    Herpsilochmus pectoralis

    Chapada do Apodi · Mata de Estrela (Baía Formosa)

    Photo: Hector Bottai · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

    Audio: JAYRSON ARAUJO DE OLIVEIRA · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · xeno-canto ↗

  • White-throated SeedeaterEndemic

    White-throated Seedeater

    Sporophila albogularis

    Sertão do Seridó · Chapada do Apodi

    Photo: Hector Bottai · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

    Audio: Ciro Albano · CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 · xeno-canto ↗

  • Ochraceous PiculetEndemic

    Ochraceous Piculet

    Picumnus limae

    Pico do Cabugi · Serra de Santana

    Photo: Hector Bottai · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

    Audio: Marcus Braun · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · xeno-canto ↗

  • Jandaya ParakeetEndemic

    Jandaya Parakeet

    Aratinga jandaya

    Mata Estrela (Baía Formosa) · Serra de Santana

    Photo: GIANNIZZZERO at English Wikipedia · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons ↗

    Audio: JAYRSON ARAUJO DE OLIVEIRA · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · xeno-canto ↗

  • Campo TroupialEndemic

    Campo Troupial

    Icterus jamacaii

    Pico do Cabugi · Chapada do Apodi

    Photo: DianesGomes · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

    Audio: JAYRSON ARAUJO DE OLIVEIRA · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · xeno-canto ↗

  • Silvery-cheeked AntshrikeEndemic

    Silvery-cheeked Antshrike

    Sakesphorus cristatus

    Serra de Santana · Sertão do Seridó

    Photo: Rick elis.simpson · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

    Audio: Brian Cox · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · xeno-canto ↗

  • Red-legged Seriema

    Red-legged Seriema

    Cariama cristata

    Chapada do Apodi · Sertão do Seridó

    Photo: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

    Audio: JAYRSON ARAUJO DE OLIVEIRA · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · xeno-canto ↗

  • Crested Caracara

    Crested Caracara

    Caracara plancus

    Pico do Cabugi · Litoral

    Photo: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

    Audio: JAYRSON ARAUJO DE OLIVEIRA · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · xeno-canto ↗

  • Burrowing Owl

    Burrowing Owl

    Athene cunicularia

    Dunas de Genipabu · Chapada do Apodi

    Photo: Wagner Machado Carlos Lemes from Goiânia, Brazil · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

    Audio: Isain Contreras Rodríguez · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · xeno-canto ↗

  • Laughing Falcon

    Laughing Falcon

    Herpetotheres cachinnans

    Pico do Cabugi · Mata Estrela (Baía Formosa)

    Photo: iNaturalist user: carnifex · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

    Audio: Fernando Angulo · CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 · xeno-canto ↗

  • Swallow-tailed Hummingbird

    Swallow-tailed Hummingbird

    Eupetomena macroura

    Lagoa do Bonfim · Pipa

    Photo: Dario Sanches from São Paulo, Brazil · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

    Audio: JAYRSON ARAUJO DE OLIVEIRA · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · xeno-canto ↗

Bird-watching

Is it for you?

Who it's for

  • Birders chasing Caatinga endemics
  • Nature photographers (strong light, clean backgrounds)
  • Travelers who want to combine coast and interior
  • Families on low-impact guided outings

What to bring

  • Binoculars 8×42 and a telephoto lens
  • Neutral-colour, long-sleeve clothing
  • Insect repellent and sunscreen
  • A local guide — essential for the Caatinga endemics
Bird-watching

Best months

  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • Jun
  • Jul
  • Aug
  • Sep
  • Oct
  • Nov
  • Dec
Bird-watching

Where to see them

Bird-watching

Birding hotspots

Bird-watching

Certified guides

Certified local guides are coming soon. This page will list them with their languages and specialties — no sign-up, no forms.

Bird-watching

Plan your birding days

Thread the salt pans, the dry forest and the coast into a route that follows the light and the tides.

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