Birds of Colombia.
Colombia is the birdwatching capital of the world. Around 1,900 species have been recorded inside its borders, more than all of North America and Europe combined, and roughly a fifth of every bird species alive.
More birds than any country
Colombia regularly tops the global list for bird diversity, with counts near 1,900 species and climbing as remote regions are surveyed. In a single 24-hour Global Big Day, Colombian teams have logged over 1,500 species, a world record.
The reason is geography. The Andes split into three ranges here, each valley and slope isolating populations until they became distinct species. Add the Amazon, the Pacific Choco, the Caribbean coast, and the Sierra Nevada, and you get an unmatched spread of habitats.
Toucans, hummingbirds, and the cock-of-the-rock
Colombia has around 165 hummingbird species, including dazzling endemics like the rainbow-bearded thornbill. The flame-orange Andean cock-of-the-rock, often called the most beautiful bird in South America, displays in the cloud forests of the Andes.
Toucans, tanagers, parrots, and antpittas fill the forests, while the Caribbean wetlands draw flamingos and scarlet ibis. Roughly 80 species are found nowhere else on Earth, many in the isolated Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
World's highest national bird count, about 20% of all birds.
Found only in Colombia, many in the Sierra Nevada.
One of the richest hummingbird faunas anywhere.
From the Sierra Nevada to the Andes
The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, a coastal mountain that rises from beach to snow, holds the most endemics and is reachable from the Caribbean coast. The Central and Western Andes around Medellin, Manizales, and Cali offer accessible cloud-forest reserves.
Birding tourism has become a real part of Colombia's economy, with lodges and local guides across the country. It is one of the simplest ways for a visitor to experience the nation's biodiversity firsthand.
Wake up to this every morning.
Expats in Medellin and the Coffee Region live minutes from cloud forest. See what it costs to call Colombia home.
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