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Category: BRAZIL
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BRAZIL

24th November to 31st December 2006 

A.Roadhouse (compiler) R.J.Swales J.M.Turton 

Birding Site Guide

Introduction The trip was originally arranged to clear up on a few new families in South America, RJS just needed Seriema, JMT needed Seriema, Gnateater and Sharpbill (although Clements has now lumped this with Cotingas) and I needed the above plus Sungrebe, Hoatzin, Trumpeter and Potoo. RJS and JMT had 17 days and I had as much time as I wanted, so it was decided that we would have a week in the Atlantic Rainforest and a week in the Pantanal and then I would go up into the Amazon to see my other target birds. The first week we based ourselves at Serra dos Tucanos Lodge, then we flew to Cuiaba and hired a car and had five days in the Pantanal and four days around Chapada dos Guimaraes. RJS and JMT then flew home and I caught a bus to Alta Floresta and then into Amazonian Rainforest at Cristalino Jungle Lodge for 10 days. I returned to Cuiaba by bus and then flew to San Paulo where I met my brother for the last 10 days and duded this part of the trip but still managed to bird sites around Ubatuba and Pereque. We saw all our target families and recorded at total of 563 species seen including 55 endemics. 

Flights We booked our flights through Wildwings and flew with Iberia Airlines who consistently prove what a shit airline they are- telling you that you can’t have any more wine when you’ve only had three small bottles!!!!!!!!! The international flight cost £629.30, then an extra £227 for the return internal flight with TAM Airlines from Rio to Cuiaba and Cuiaba to Sao Paulo. 

Car Hire We had no need to hire a car the first week as we were picked up and dropped back off at the airport by staff from Serra dos Tucanos Lodge. We hired a car from Avis for 9 days at Cuiaba for a cost of £415, it was a group c car and adequate but because of all the rain in the Pantanal, a four wheel drive would have felt safer on the slippery Transpantaneira. A group B car was hired at Sao Paulo Airport from Localiza for 10 days and to be dropped off at Rio de Janeiro Airport, the cost was £245 + £82 drop off fee. Fuel – most cars run on unleaded petrol or sugar cane alcohol, the latter was much cheaper but not as economical. Fuel was reasonably priced but was almost impossible to find in the Pantanal, a local guide bought us some petrol from Port Jofre, it would have been advisable to have filled a couple of jerry cans up before leaving the last town. It was easy driving in Brazil although in Rio it was a nightmare with the shear volume of traffic approaching the main road bridge that crosses the bay. 

Buses Buses travel to almost every destination in Brazil and even surrounding countries. The bus stations are very well organized with many café’s, shops and toilets. The long distance buses are very comfortable with films, free water and reclining seats, the only problem is they have the air conditioning on full! I took a bus to Alta Floresta from Cuiaba and it was an overnight 12 hour bus ride, but it wasn’t unbearable and cost £68 return. 

Money The currency is the Real and was worth about 4=£1 sterling, making the cost of living reasonably cheap. Changing money was a bit of a problem, when we arrived at Rio Airport, the computers had gone down in the bureau de change so we had no money, but luckily by staying at Serra dos Tucanos we didn’t need any – we just paid the final bill at the end with credit cards. We tried changing dollars and pounds in the main bank in Chapada dos Guimaraes and they said they couldn’t exchange money , we’d have to go back to Cuiaba. However we got around this problem by using a credit card in an automatic bank – and this I would recommend as we never had problems getting money out and the exchange rate was really good getting nearly 4.20 Reals to the Pound. Credit cards were accepted almost everywhere except in the Pantanal, where neither of the two lodges we stayed at would accept them. 

Food and Drink There is no way you would starve in Brazil, the towns and cities have a large selection of places to eat food from snacks and savouries in roadside stalls, to fast food joints, small and large restaurants. An average meal in Rio would cost about £5-6 pound. In all the lodges we stayed at all meals were included in the price, usually buffet style and of a very high standard. I have to say I’ve never been anywhere where I’ve eaten so well, managed to keep my guts intact for the full duration of the trip and still lose weight! Fillet steaks were particularly good. Beer was typical ‘lager’ type, although some companies also did dark beers. Generally the more you paid the better the beer, the worst was Nova Schin, which despite being 5% was tasteless and only just about drinkable if you’re really thirsty. Skol and Crystal were good cheap alternatives but Antarctica, Cerpa and Bohemia were the best and most expensive. Usually 3 Reals for the cheaper ones and up 7 for the more expensive ones. The only other drink we drank apart from the occasional coffee or glass of water was Caiprihina – a cocktail of local rum (cachassa), limes and ice, which became a very nice way to finish off an evening. 
Accommodation The first week was spent at Serra dos Tucanos Lodge, a superb place in a very nice setting in very comfortable lodgings, with a bar/restaurant, library and lounge with satellite tv. In the lodge grounds are a neat and tidy garden with bird feeding stations and hummingbird feeders all viewable from the veranda, also a swimming pool to cool down in. Around the lodge are a series of trails in the prime forest surrounding which hold some very good birds. Excursions can be arranged at an extra cost, but with the pound being strong against the dollar, they are very good value, especially considering the number of Atlantic Rainforest endemics available. It cost us a total of $770 each ($420 for accommodation and food), this included our transport from and to the airport, 3 different excursions, two taxi rides to start and pick-up from Cedae Trail and Bamboo Trail and also the bar bill.you can contact Andy Foster atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. We spent the night of 1st December in the Poussada Galleano in the airport building as our flight to Cuiaba the next day was early, this had very basic cramped rooms and cost 390 Reals for two rooms for the night. In the Pantanal we stayed at two places, the first was Fazenda Santa Teresa on the Pixaim River, a nice lodge with clean rooms and a good restaurant. Also the lawns run up to the rivers edge and there is a swimming pool in the grounds and good trails in the surrounding forest. The cost of a nights accommodation was roughly £35 a night, and included three meals and a boat ride on the river, oh - and our beer bill! The other place we stopped at was the Poussada Jaguar, about 40 kms further south along the Transpantaneira. There were no grounds to this site and is really a base to drive up and down the Transpantaneira from, but the rooms were clean and the cost was about the same as the Fazenda Santa Teresa, with equally as good food. In Chapada dos Guimaraes, we stayed at the Turismo Hotel, which cost about £18 a night each including breakfast, it was cheap and cheerful with clean rooms and was in the centre of town and close to bars and restaurants and served an early breakfast. My stay in the Amazonian Rainforest was at the Cristalino Jungle Lodge north of the city of Alta Floresta. The cost to stay there was $110 a day, which seemed a bit steep at first, but with the pound being strong, the setting and all your meals, a personal guide every day and boat trips when you want makes it very good value for money. I stayed in the dormitory, which was 6 twin rooms sectioned off with wooden walls and attached to the library and common room. Electricity was by a generator which was turned on at 11.30 until 14.30 and then again at 17.30 until 22.30. There were no fans in the rooms, but I only had one night where I felt it was too hot. The food again was excellent and the beer and caiprihinas reasonably priced. During the last section of the trip, my brother joined me for a holiday and didn’t want to rough it, so we occasionally paid a lot more than I would normally pay in resort areas. We had two nights in Sao Paulo at the Caesar Business Hotel near the international airport, this was due to his flight being delayed 24 hrs, otherwise we would have only had one night. Expensive at £70 for the first night and £100 for the second. We then spent 4 nights around Christmas at Lillian’s Place in Ubatuba, a small guest house found on the internet through Hostel Bookers. It cost around £30 a night each. It was a bit awkward because the couple who owned the place were just starting doing lodgings and we were their first guests. It was a superb house with swimming pool and amazing views and even Brazilian Tanagers in the garden, but they cooked breakfast and evening meals for us and wouldn’t let us pay for any food. On our way to Rio de Janeiro we stopped half way and stayed at the Portogalo Suite Hotel for a night which cost about £100 for the room, but again included all our meals and had fantastic facilities including free cable car down to a secluded beach. The last hotel we stayed at was the plush Florida Hotel in the Flamengo area of Rio de Janeiro. We had 3 nights here and it was booked on the internet prior to going. The cost was £180 for the room for three nights, it must have been a good deal through expedia because the tariff in the hotel was equivalent of £100 a night! 

Health and Safety We didn’t have any extra jabs and didn’t need to take Malaria tablets. We didn’t have any illnesses or stomach problems, the mosquitoes fed quite well on RJS in the Pantanal and possible bed bugs may have had a feast on me at Cristalino Lodge (although I couldn’t actually find any). Tarantulas were seen on a regular basis, including nesting in the lawn at Cristalino Lodge, but never came into the buildings. A few snakes were seen including a small Anaconda on the road out of the Pantanal. We never felt threatened or unsafe and people were probably some of the friendliest I’ve ever met. I didn’t even feel threatened wandering around Copacabana on my own at three in the morning.

Weather Very warm to hot most of the time, although we fortunate that it was the start of the rainy season, so we had very few long spells of sunshine, most days were cloudy with occasional sun and always some period of rain, although rain only affected our birding while at Serra dos Tucanos when low cloud and rain scuppered our attempts to seen Black and Gold Cotinga.

Field Guides and Bird Guides There is still no decent field guide for Brazil – we used the recently re-published All the Birds of Brazil by Souza, it is diabolical and wish it had never been reprinted. We had photocopied plates from the Tudor Sub-oscine and oscine passerines handbooks of South America – but there are many species left un-illustrated. There is a new field guide out for the non-passerines of South America, which is excellent and covers all the species. At the moment the best idea would be to use the non-passerine field guide and make your own passerine field guide by photographing plates from the Handbook of Birds of the World! While at Serra dos Tucanos and Cristalino Jungle Lodge there was a good library and experienced birders, so this helped immensely. But one of the most useful tools was a MP3 player with Mark Boasman’s cd of Birds of Brazil (Available from Wildsounds for £45) downloaded onto it in files of different groups of birds. We regularly when faced with an unidentified furnarid, Antbird or Flycatcher would trawl through the sounds until the bird reacted, this worked a treat, as did playing certain species when the habitat looked good, this in particular brought in several very elusive species, which would not have been seen otherwise. At Serra dos Tucanos we birded the first three and last day on our own, but had 3 day excursions which included Peter, a guide from England now working with Andy Foster, he proved to be very competent and will be even more so when he’s been there a little longer. In the Pantanal, we bumped into Fabiano F. Oliveira, a local bird guide who was guiding an American couple around, he gave us lots of information and suggestions and even help with identifying birds. He is based in Chapada dos Guimaraes, and left us a business card, we suggested we may call him if we needed to clear up on a few birds in the Chapada area. In the end we used him on our last full day there, and he managed to find about 10 new birds for us including Collared Crescent-chest which was high on our priority list. He charged US$100 for the day, which between three of us was very good value. His details are This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.his friend Edwardo W. Patrial was very good too and he can be contacted onThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . 

Birding Sites There is little to say about the sites, the entire first week was spent birding from Serra dos Tucanos and we had very little awareness where each site was. Although it has to be said that the Bamboo Trail was excellent and they don’t take the larger groups there as it is a narrow trail and this is worth doing on your own. One of the excursions took us to the REGUA site at Guappi Accu, this is a lodge in itself and you can bird based there just as we did at Tucanos. The best place to get information on this area and other sites in south-east Brazil is to go on www.arthurgrosset.com and look at Jeremy Minns site gen. It is very up to date and easy to use. In the Pantanal, we just drove along the Transpantaneira knowing we needed to bird the Rio Pixaim, so we stopped at the Fazenda Santa Teresa and just wandered around the surrounding forest and went on the boat trips organized by the hotel. The rest of the birding there was mainly along the Transpantaneira and off on a side road about 1km south of Poussada Jaguar. We did well and saw most of the target species in the area. Chapada dos Guimaraes is mainly cerrado habitat that has a whole new group of species and is easily covered in three days. About 10 km before the city the National Park is on the right hand side, its free to enter after 08.00, there are cafes and shops there and excellent viewing areas of the waterfalls. Blue-winged Macaws nest on the cliffs and Biscutate and Great Dusky Swifts feed overhead, the open area dotted by trees between the cafes and the waterfalls is where Yellow-billed Blue Finch and Collared Crescent-chest were seen. Then as you continue towards the town you pass an Ostrich farm on your right and just afterwards is a wide dirt track that goes down into some fragmented forest, just park at the start and walk down the track, we had Saffron-billed and Pectoral Sparrow and a small mixed flock of forest birds. Once through the forest the track forks and goes left past a small house and on the track next to a small field growing tomatoes was where we had Paint-billed Crakes. The best place for birding in this area is the cerrado and the best place we found was on the road to Agua Frio, it is only a short distance from the last site. There is a wide dirt road on the left if you continue towards the town, just after the turning is a café. Most of the birds can be seen along the first 2 km, but we drove about 15km along the road and made several stops. We saw most birds you can see in this area, especially with the help of Fabiano. A good area for tanagers, saltators, finches, hummingbirds etc. We were also taken to some secondary forest and mature cerrado the other side of town by Fabiano, but I didn’t write down any directions. Cristalino Jungle Lodge is in northern Matto Grosso and accessible from Cuiaba by a 12 hour bus ride or a one and half hour plane ride. You can only bird there with the aid of a guide, you can find information about the place by visiting their website at www.cristalinolodge.com.br .

 
Itinerary 
24th November A typically shit flight with Iberia Airlines from Heathrow via Madrid and landed at Rio de Janeiro at around 19.40, customs were very slow with only one customs officer despite two planes landing at the same time! We finally left the airport at 21.00, our driver from Serra dos Tucanos was waiting for us and we set off into the horrendous traffic, it took an hour to clear Rio and then another hour and half to get to the lodge. We were met by Andy and Cristina Foster, where we had a quick tour of the building and shown our rooms before knocking back a couple of long-waited for ice cold beers then off to bed. 

25th November We were up at first light and met other guests who were staying there, our first bird was a Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest endemic – a Saw-billed Hermit on the feeders, as the sun rose more hummingbirds were visiting the feeders – Sombre and Black Jacobins, tanagers were coming down the large bunches of bananas put out for them, including Golden-chevroned and the stunning Brazilian. A Blond-crested Woodpecker visited the feeders and this was all before breakfast at 06.30. After breakfast the rest of the people staying went on an excursion and left us to sort out the birds around the garden, Spot-billed and Saffron Toucanets came down to the feeders and Grey-headed Attila was in the large trees surrounding the garden. Mid-morning we decided to go and walk one of the trails around the lodge, it wasn’t long before we had one of our target species – Black-cheeked Gnateater which gave a stunning display. We also had a few more forest birds – White-eyed Foliage-Gleaner, Lesser and Olivaceous Woodcreepers etc. We went back for lunch which was served at 13.00 and then caught up on a bit of sleep. Most of the afternoon was spent around the garden adding a few more new birds including Crested Becard and Grey-capped Tyrannulet. Another short walk along the trails late afternoon produced Channel-billed Toucan and Black-capped Foliage-Gleaner. The evening was pretty much the same during our stay here – dinner at 19.30, where there was always plenty of tasty food, followed by note-writing over a few beers and then bed by about 22.30. the day total was 55 and I had seen 17 new birds. 
26th November Up at first light watching the feeders and then breakfast at 06.30, then Andy had arranged a taxi to take us to the start of the Cedae Trail which is about 5km uphill from the lodge (the rest of the group were going on the Restinga Antwren excursion). The trail was a wide access road downhill to an old waterworks, it was only about one and half miles but it took us all morning, constantly stopping to look at birds – Rufous-crowned Motmot, Spot-breasted Antvireo, Star-throated and Streak-capped Antwren, a superb Such’s Antthrush, a lek of Blue Manakins and White-throated Spadebill. We had our packed lunch and then made our way back to the road. We had told Andy that we would walk back and bird, this was a good move as we saw lots of birds and luckily it stayed cloudy for the three hours it took to walk back the 5 km downhill. We had a small group of Tanagers that included Brassy-breasted, Red-necked and Rufous-headed, a cracking male Frilled Coquette, Ferruginous Antbird, Cliff Flycatcher, Chestnut-crowned Becard, and Black-throated Grosbeak. We arrived back feeling a little tired and sweaty and had a cold beer to refresh while watching the Hummers on the feeders. We saw at total of 83 species and all had a bag full of ticks. 

27th November Today we decided to do the Bamboo Trail, so after breakfast we caught a taxi to the start which was about 11 km uphill from the lodge. We spent all day on the trail, it was a good trail and we only walked about a mile and half of it. We had a lot of good birds including Brazilian Ruby, Tawny-throated Leaftosser, White-collared Foliage-Gleaner, Giant Antshrike, a cracking male White-bearded Antshrike, Bertoni’s and Ochre-rumped Antbirds, Brazilian Antthrush, Rufous Gnateater, Shrike-like Cotinga, Hooded Berryeater, Bare-throated Bellbird, Brown Tanager, Azure-shouldered Tanager and Thick-billed Saltator. The taxi picked us back up at 16.00 and took us back to the lodge just as the heavens opened for the rest of the evening. The early evening was spent catching up on notes while having a few beers. 

28th November Today we went on our first excursion to see the endemic and very rare Three-toed Jacamar, we drove uphill and then down into Nova Fubrigo where there must be in excess of 100 lingerie shops! Once out of town we were in open cattle country and started seeing a whole new group of birds. Most of the birds seen during the day were open country birds. Our first stop overlooking a boggy cattle field produced Ash-throated Crake, Streamer-tailed Tyrant and Blue-winged Macaws. Next stop was a large marsh where we had Spix’s Spinetail, Lineated Woodpecker and our only Magpie Tanagers of the trip. Another boggy field gave us Blackish Rail, White-rumped Monjita and Swallow-tailed Hummingbird. A coffee break in a small town was nice, before carrying on and overlooking some grass covered hillsides we saw our next target species – a Red-legged Seriema strutting about. A couple of miles further along the road we pulled in a couple more goodies with Sapphire-spangled Emerald and Cinnamon Tanager. We pulled in at the side of a piece of woodland to have our packed lunch and heard Surucua Trogon, we soon taped the bird in as well as a Scaled Woodcreeper. Also there we had superb views of Ochre-faced Tody-flycatcher, Red-eyed Thornbird and Hangnest Tody-tyrant. We then drove onto the Jacamar site, a few large stands of bamboo by the roadside, we soon had the bird showing down to just a few feet, nice to see such a rare bird so well. We also had White-eared Puffbird and Pileated Finch there. We then made our way back to the lodge calling at a marshy area on the way back and pulling in a few trip ticks. We arrived back at 17.30 just as it started to rain again, it was a very successful day with 101 species being recorded. 

29th November Today we were doing the High Altitude excursion, which again meant driving through Nova Furbrigo but taking a different route out and up into the surrounding hillsides. We struggled getting the mini-bus to the height we needed, due to the overnight rain making the steep, cobbled road too slippy. So we had to park up and walk uphill for an hour before we got into good habitat. It was raining to start and we needed to use our umbrellas for the first hour or so, but we still managed to pull in Uniform Finch, Black-billed Scythebill, Blue-billed and Velvet Black-tyrants. We walked up to the highest point we thought it was worth going to, with rain still hampering us every now and again and we had lunch there. We could here Black-and-Gold Cotingas but couldn’t see them, but we did have a few good birds including Large-tailed Antshrike, Rufous-tailed Antbird, Serra do Mar Tyrannulet, Diademed Tanager and Bay-chested Warbling-Finch. We moved back lower down and took a side road off to look for the bird I wanted to see most – Swallow-tailed Cotinga. We went to an area which overlooked the nesting tree but the nest was now empty, but luckily Pete found one roosting in a nearby tree and we had excellent scope views of a superb looking beast. We walked back to the mini-bus in very good spirits. 

30th November It had been raining all night and low cloud was all around the lodge, we wanted to try for Black-and-Gold Cotinga again, so this time went onto the Macae de Cemae road, which is off on a side road before Nova Fubrigo. But here still the cloud was low and light rain persisted. Pete suggested that to save the day we should go to the REGUA reserve at Guappi Accu which was about an hours drive and at a much lower altitude and with a completely different range of species. When we reached there it was nice and bright and very warm, the artificial marsh there gave us Least Grebe and Masked Duck and the trails were excellent with a good selection of new species including; White-barred Piculet, White-bearded Manakin, Eye-ringed Tody-Tyrant, Black-capped Becard, Long-billed Wren, Yellow-backed and Hooded Tanagers, Pileated Finch and Sooty Grassquit, as well as 2 Tufted-eared Marmoset. It started to rain quite heavy and we called it a day late afternoon, we called at a roadside bar and had a beer and then made our way back. We had a good sociable evening trying out a few different cashassas! 

1st December Our intentions were to go on the Bamboo Trail again, but we woke up again to rain and low cloud. We had a walk on the trails around the Lodge and managed to see Scaled Antbird, JMT stayed on the trails a little longer and had a Swainson’s Thrush – a new bird for the area. I had a walk downhill a few hundred yards and had a Mantled Hawk fly over the road, we returned for lunch and then packed. We had one last attempt on the trails to see Pin-tailed Manakin and try and see the thrush. No more sign of the thrush but excellent views of a male Pin-tailed Manakin. At 16.00 we said our goodbyes and were transported to the airport in Rio. We arrived there at 18.00 and dropped our gear off in the hotel and then went into the food hall and had a burger and chips and a few beers before having an early night.

2nd December The second stage of the trip – The Pantanal. We had an early morning flight with TAM Airlines to Cuiaba, we had to change in Brasilia where we were delayed slightly and landed at 12.15, we picked up our hire car and was en route to the Pantanal by 13.15. It was 100 km to Pocone, the last town before the Transpantaneira. We had a brief stop and had Yellow-chevroned Parakeet, Swallow-tailed Kites and Rusty-backed Antwren. The Transpantaneira was a wide dirt track, with bridges ever 500 metres or so. Chaco Chacalacas were on the road all the way along, we kept stopping to look at our first Jabirus, herons, egrets and some other birds including Toco Toucan. We arrived at the Fazenda Santa Teresa on the Rio Pixaim and booked into a triple room. The afternoon was spent around the grounds, watching the bird feeders and the river, where Grey-crested Cachalote and Pied Lapwing were added to the list. As it was getting dusk, Band-tailed and Nacunda Nighthawks were hawking over the river. A superb dinner with roast pork and a few beers while writing notes. 

3rd December One of the best days of the trip, as daylight broke Band-tailed Nighthawks were still hawking the river, Sunbittern and Green Ibis were on the river banks and Lesser Kiskadees and White-winged Swallows were hawking over the river. We had a good breakfast and then had our boat ride down river. The river is edged by forest and cracids were all around – Blue-throated Piping-Guans and Bare-faced Currasows , the first usually in the tops of the trees and the currasows foraging on the banking below the trees. A good variety of herons and ibises were seen including 2 Boat-billed Herons roosting and a superb immature Agami Heron feeding in the shallows. Black-collared Hawks were catching piranhas the boatman was throwing to them, and Great Black Hawks were also seen. at least 5 Sunbitterns were seen and 7 Grey-necked Wood-Rails. Pale-legged Horneros were common along the river bank and there were also Yellow-rumped and Solitary Caciques and Purplish Jays. But the highlight was the family of Giant River Otters that came to the boat, expecting some easy food from the boatman. He started throwing fish onto the bank so we could see how big they really were – bigger than a Cayman basking on the banking. We returned to the lodge at about 10.30 and had a coffee and then we went for a walk in the surrounding woodland where we pulled in Rufous Nightjar, Black-fronted Nunbird, Great Antshrike, Matto Grosso Antbird, Pearly-vented Tody-tyrant, Moustached Wren and Flavescent Warbler. We had lunch and then relaxed for a couple of hours in the heat, then at about 15.30 our boatman took us to another bit of woodland to see Great Potoo, we had fantastic views of a full grown youngster, but also had Helmeted Manakin, Great Rufous Woodcreeper and brief views of an Undulated Tinamou. The last hour was spent driving the entrance track and part of the Transpantaneira which gave us Chestnut-bellid Guan, 3 Pauraques and a cracking male Lined Seedeater. At dusk we stopped to look at a large tarantula on the road, while RJS was trying to photograph the beast it ran between his legs and scared him shitless! Oh we did laugh! Took a good two hours writing notes after dinner and quite a few beers to help and reflect the 119 species seen during the day. 

4th December After breakfast we had a boat ride on the river going the opposite direction to yesterday, it was much quieter but I got a new family tick with brilliant views of Sungrebe, we also had Large-billed Antwren, Ashy-headed Greenlet and another fine male Helmeted Manakin. We returned about 10.00 and had a coffee and packed and settled our bill. We then had another walk in the forest and had a few new birds, including Rusty-fronted Tody-flycatcher and Fuscous Flycatcher. We had lunch and then headed off south down the Transpantaneira to the Poussada Jaguar about 40 km away. A flock of 20 Lined Seedeaters and 2 Long-tailed Ground-Doves on the approach road started the journey off well, other highlights on the drive were one of our most sought after birds – the mighty Hyacinth Macaw, a stunning, beautiful, massive and noisy parrot, also the much smaller but nice Golden-collared Macaw, the Poussada Jaguar had rooms available, so we booked in and then walked for a km or so along the Transpantaneira and back. We added a few more new species, with Southern Screamer, Thrush-like Wren, White-edged Piculet, Chotoy Spinetail, and Mouse-coloured Flycatcher. It then started raining and we started note writing and drinking the small amount of beer they had, having to move onto Caiprihinas after dinner. We went to bed to the deafening chorus of frogs, not just outside but also from at least 5 in the room. 

5th December The site of Hyacinth Macaws in the large tree above the poussada was nice to wake up to, as was new birds in the form of Little Woodpecker and Orange-winged Parrot. After breakfast we had a walk in the forest opposite, but had very little apart from White-striped Warbler. We then had a walk along the road for a km or so and picked up Little Cuckoo and Glittering-throated Emerald. We had a rest after lunch and then had a drive down a side road just south of the Poussada, we stopped at a disused biological station. It was rife with mosquitoes but had some good birds, including brilliant views of Great Rufous Woodcreeper and Fawn-breasted Wren. We continued along the road and had White-tailed Goldenthroat and another Undulated Tinamou. We waited until dusk and then drove back, we spotlighted a Striped Owl and had a probable Magellanic Horned Owl briefly in front of the headlights. There were plenty of Pauraques on the road and by the time we’d finished a load of beetles in the car! When we got back to the poussada, Fabiano (a local, excellent guide) had got back from Porto Jaffre with some petrol for us and more importantly a crate of beer, which we enjoyed while extracting information from him and catching up on notes. 
6th December Our last morning in the Pantanal and after breakfast we headed south but the road was very slippy and felt dangerous so we turned round and went to the disused biological station and then walked along the road for a couple of kilometres. It was an excellent walk, the highlight was a very unexpected Crested Eagle which flew low across the road into deep forest, but other good birds included Blue-crowned Trogon, Dull-capped Attila, Rufous Casiornis and Grey-headed Tanager. We returned to the poussada for lunch and afterwards, set off for Chapada dos Guimaraes – the final section of the trip for JMT and RJS. The fields by the Transpantaneira were much wetter than when we first arrived and we saw bigger concentrations of waterbirds, including a lot of whistling-ducks and storks and herons. Once off the Transpantaneira, we put the foot down and motored towards Chapada dos Guimaraes, hoping to get there before dark, we didn’t manage this and also had to drive through a massive thunder storm, the only bird highlight being a pair of Blue and Yellow Macaws over the road near Cuiaba. We arrived at 19.00 and soon found the Hotel Turismo, we showered and changed and then went to our first restaurant of the trip and had to work out what was on the menu, we all ended up with a nice but large plate of food each and knocked back a few beers as well. 

7th December We weren’t exactly sure where to go birding in this area, as we had no gen, but we started off by driving down to the National Park. This was a tourist area with cafes and viewing areas of the waterfalls and valley, with a few short trails in the scrubby cerrado. We had Blue-winged Macaws and White-eyed Parakeets on the cliffs and a flyover pair of Red and Green Macaws, also above the falls were flocks of Great Dusky and Biscutate Swifts. We had a drive back towards Cuiaba trying to find some decent habitat but couldn’t find any, we pulled in at a lay-by that said waterfalls and instead saw two Red-legged Seriemas! We had a walk over the hillside here and had a couple of flycatchers that were either Campo Suiriris or Chapada Flycatchers, also here we had White-throated Kingbird, Curl-crested Jay, Guira Tanager, and Red-crested Finch. After this we headed back to town and noticed a hand-painted sign pointing up a dirt road saying Agua Frio, so after a quick drink in a café there we headed off up the road. We stopped at a couple of places in what looked like good habitat – low, scrubby cerrado and had some really good birds including Red-winged Tinamou, 4 more Seriemas, White-vented Violet-ear, Pale-breasted Spinetail, Rufous-winged Antshrike, Black-faced, White-banded, and White-rumped Tanagers, Plumbeous Seedeater, Stripe-tailed Yellow-finch, Wedge-tailed Grassfinch, Black-throated Saltator and the stunning Coal-crested Finch. We drove back to town at 16.30, showered, changed and then had a walk into the town square and sat in the sun and had a few ice cold beers watching the world go by – well quite a lot of fit women. We had a nice meal in a restaurant washed down with more beer.

 8th December A foggy start, we went back to the Agua Frio road to check the Cerrado for Collared Crescent-chest, we tried at a few different places but the low cloud was hampering us. We moved onto a forest fragment a German guide had told us about, as we got out of the car, Blue-headed Parrots were sat in the trees above. The track was a wide access track to some farm buildings and was only a couple of hundred yards long, but held both Saffron-billed and Pectoral Sparrows, a forest flock there contained Yellow-tufted Woodpecker, Chestnut-vented Conebill, Swallow Tanager, Burnished-buff Tanager and Greyish Saltator. On the track that passed through the farm buildings was a nice surprise with a pair of Paint-billed Crakes. The low cloud was still hanging in so we went back into town for some lunch, and met a guide who told us a few places to see a few birds including Yellow-billed Blue Finch at the waterfalls in the National Park. After lunch we went to the waterfalls and saw the birds almost immediately, we also searched for Crescent-chest but failed but had Green-barred Woodpecker and Masked Tityra in the car park. We went for a drive to the ‘City of Stones’ which is off the Agua Frio road, but it became impassable in our car and we turned round when a massive storm hit us, we returned to town and went out for a meal and some beer, after arranging with Fabiano to meet us at breakfast the next morning and hopefully show us the birds we were missing.

9th December Fabiano arrived at 06.00 with his bird guide friend Edwardo, we had breakfast and then set off at 06.30. We headed straight for the Agua Frio road and only birded the first kilometre or so. We could here a Collared Crescent-chest but it was too distant, but we did have Rufous-sided Pygmy-Tyrant, and Fabiano was able to sort out Campo Suiriri and Chapada Flycatcher for us. While looking for Small-billed Tinamou we added Fork-tailed Palm-Swift, Barred Antshrike and a superb male Horned Sungem flew past the others. Next stop was the National Park stopping en route to look at a flock of Red-shouldered Macaws perched in a tree. We searched the hillside above the waterfalls and soon heard a Collared Crescent-chest, eventually we all had splendid views of a superb bird. Feeling very content we had a coffee in the café there. We then moved to the other side of town to some remnant forest and walked down the access road through it, we soon had a cracking Band-tailed Manakin and a Southern Antpipit, but dipped on Fiery-capped Manakin. We had a lunch break and met up with Fabiano again at 15.00 and then went to some more mature cerrado on the other side of town. It was fairly quiet but we did add a few new birds to the trip list; Saw-wing, Short-tailed and Grey Hawk and Red-legged Honeycreeper. We went out for a few beers and watched a Christmas parade with Coca Cola lorries throwing out free sweets for all the kids following. We had a meal in our favourite restaurant and Fabiano and Edwardo joined us for a beer and we celebrated a superb fortnights birding. 

10th December We had a little lie in and added our last bird to this part of the trip – Black-throated Mango was the 420th species. We packed the car and had a slow drive to Cuiaba, we dropped the car off worried about a few scratches on the car, but they didn’t notice them. We had a meal and a few beers in the airport lounge and RJS and JMT caught their flights to Sao Paulo and eventually home. I caught a taxi to the bus station and spent the afternoon, using the internet and drinking beer one of the cafes there. The overnight bus to Alta Floresta set off at 19.00, it was a reasonable journey on a very comfortable bus. 

11th December The bus pulled in at Alta Floresta bus station at 08.00 and a driver from the Alta Floresta Amazonica Hotel was waiting for me and took me straight to the hotel. It was only a ten minute ride, the hotel was set in a small patch of remnant forest, but big enough to hold a pair of Harpy Eagles. On my arrival I met Zuleica who is charge of guest arrangements. She said if I wanted I could have some breakfast and then she would get someone to take me to the nest where the full grown young may be. I gulped some coffee and a couple of slices of toast and was shown to the nest by one of the hotel staff. I was in luck, a massive, full grown, 10 month old chick was stood on the nest, ripping a monkey to bits. It was hit and miss at the moment because it spent long periods away from the nest – phew, saved cutting my trip at Cristalino Lodge a day short. There were also good numbers of Mealy Parrots in the garden. I was then taken by mini-bus 40kms to the Teles Pires River, stopping briefly on the way to try for Point-tailed Palmcreeper at Palm plantation, but no luck. At the river I met my guide and boatman for the next 10 days – Frank Resseler, a Belgian birder who had only been here 3 weeks himself. We then crossed the Peles River and into the black waters of the Rio Cristalino, it was about half an hour up river to the lodge, but I had several new birds on the way – a staked out Common Potoo, many very smart White-banded Swallows, Red-capped Cardinals and a Bare-necked Fruitcrow. Once at the lodge I was shown where everything was including my dormitory bed which was a twin room all to myself, in fact I was the only guest at the lodge for the first night. I had a look around the lodge clearings and sat on the pontoon by the rivers edge for a short while, picking up Greater Yellow-headed and King Vultures. Frank showed me a pair of Blackish Nightjars roosting on the roof of one of the buildings while nearly treading on a tarantula on the lawn! A superb lunch was had and then a short siesta during the heat of the day. At 15.00 we went walking on the Bamboo Trail, meeting up with the Rocky Trail and finally onto the Canopy Tower. The Bamboo Trail produced three different Trogons – Black-tailed, Violaceous and Collared but also an elusive White-browed Antbird. At the Canopy Tower which is 53 metres high, I managed to climb to the second platform at 30 metres but froze at about 35 metres when I started looking up!! I never managed to get higher than that during the rest of the trip, despite several attempts. The platform at 30 metres is level with or above most of the canopy, but some of the Cotingas can sit on the tops of the tallest trees which you ideally need to be on the top. We only had a sort time there but still had some good birds including my first Spangled Cotingas, Red-necked Aracaris, Red-fan Parrots and Chestnut-fronted Macaws. We sat on the pontoon by the river as it was getting dusk and heard Zigzag Heron calling across the river. The evening was spent writing notes over a few beers and Caiprihinas with dinner served inbetween at 19.30, a pattern that was to follow during the next 10 days. The generator was turned off at 22.30 and time for bed. 

12th December Breakfast was at 05.00, in the clearing was my first new bird of the day – a Spix’s Guan. We were on the river by 05.30 and on our way to the start of the Brazil Nut Trail. The river was even more peaceful at this time of the day and new birds came thick and fast, including Red-throated Piping-Guan, Rufous-and-Green Kingfisher, Red-billed Toucan, Glossy Antshrike and Chestnut Woodpecker. The trail was good with some very impressive huge Brazil Nut trees, but also a superb singing male Rufous-capped Antthrush, then a White-browed Purpletuft. A small mixed flock contained, Yellow-throated Woodpecker, Green-and-Gold Tanager and Chestnut-winged Foliage-Gleaner. A Musician Wren was singing (almost like an artificial computerised song) and eventually we had good views. After a couple of hours on the trail we got back on the boat and went a few more kilometres up river to a clearing next to the rapids where there was a house and where one of the guides lived. There were good numbers of parrots there including Red-and-Green and Chestnut-fronted Macaws and Golden-winged Parakeets, also there we had Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet and a Ruddy Pigeon. Our journey back to the lodge was spoiled by rain. The usual lunch followed by short siesta followed and then we walked the trails around the lodge, we heard Blue-backed and Snow-capped Manakins and Spotted Antpitta, all of which were frustratingly close but couldn’t be enticed out. The only other bird of note was a Ruddy Quail-Dove. At the canopy tower, there was a good passage of Purple Martins and at least one Swift was identified as a Pale-rumped. Back at the lodge we went out on the boat armed with tape and torches to see the Zigzag Heron, unfortunately we only had silhouette views of the bird as if flew from the tree it was calling from. 

13th December Another five o’clock start and today our morning excursion was to go downstream and to visit The Island on the Teles Pires River. We first stopped at the boat launch on the Teles Pires river and picked up a tiny Short-tailed Pygmy-Tyrant, then in the middle of the river an Amazonian Umbrellabird flew over and landed in a nearby tree giving us very good views. Once on the island we were greeted by a Spotted Tody-Flycatcher. Most of the island had been cleared and was left with scrubby secondary growth with the occasional big tree still standing, this meant a different variety of birds than in the deep jungle. Amazonian Antwren, Gold-fronted Piculet and White-lored Euphonia were soon added. Three new hummingbirds were seen including Rufous-breasted Hermit, Grey-breasted Sabrewing and Long-billed Starthroat. Also on the island near a small lagoon were Crimson-crested Woodpecker and Lettered Aracari. We went back to the lodge for lunch and were met by four Paradise Jacamars. The afternoon was quiet with light rain on and off and the only new bird on the trails being a Blue-backed Manakin, while on the tower a Bright-rumped Attila was a new bird for the trip. The evening was an enjoyable one as Arthur Grosset and his wife Libby had arrived and certainly livened up the conversation. 
14th December It rained all night and until after breakfast, I had a lie in until 06.30 and was still the first up. By 07.30 the rain had more or less stopped so we decided to do part of the Cacao Trail on the opposite bank. We came across several small flocks, with many birds disappearing before we got a good view of them. We saw our only Razor-billed Currasows there and also had a good selection of antbirds, with Grey Antbird, Long-billed Antwren, Warbling Antbird and Pygmy Antwren, we also had Red-necked Woodpecker, Long-tailed Woodcreeper and Curve-billed Scythebill. Back at the lodge at lunchtime we had a Rufous-bellied Euphonia and Red-stained Woodpecker. On the trails in the afternoon we had Red-headed Manakins, Plain-winged Antshrike and White-eyed Antwren, and made more efforts to see Spotted Antpitta but no joy. In the evening we were shown some photos and a short film about Cristalino Lodge. 

15th December Another rainy night but had stopped by dawn. After breakfast we decided to do the Serra Trail, but it was very gloomy and still raining on and off so was a slow start. But once at the top we found the Tanager flock and I added several more tanagers to the list including Masked, Paradise and Turquoise as well as White-bellied Dacnis and Green Honeycreeper. A superb male Black-eared Fairy performed well and at least two Blackish Nightjars were roosting on the rocks and Olive-sided and Yellow-margined Flycatchers were perched in the trees. We made our way back down when it started raining heavy and then called at another site on the river to look for Bronzy Jacamars, we didn’t see any but managed to find White-tailed Trogon instead. When we arrived back at the lodge an Orange-cheeked Parrot was sat in the trees above the jetty. We went out on the trails in the afternoon, and got frustrated hearing Cocoa and Lawrence’s Thrushes singing high in the trees but unable to see them. We spent the last two hours of daylight on the canopy tower and had a good time, with Paradise Tanager, Curl-crested Aracari and a superb pair of Black-girdled Barbets right next to the tower. The Sweat Bees were very annoying on the tower late in the afternoon. 

16th December Today we were joined by Arthur and Libby and we went up river 35km to Cigana Lagoon, which is just an oxbow off the river. We decided to keep a daily tally and see how many species we could see during the day. It was a good morning and we saw a lot of birds, Yellow-bellied Dacnis was a new bird on the way and then when we got to the lagoon the target species flew across the river – Hoatzin. Also around the lagoon we added Silvered Antbird, Ladder-tailed Nightjars roosting, Rufous-winged Antwren and Cinnamon Attila. On our way back we called at a site where Bald Parrot had been seen about two months earlier. We added Brown Jacamar and a cracking Rose-breasted Chat. We arrived back at the lodge for lunch at 13.00 and afterwards had a shower and a shave before out on the local trails. We added Fasciated Antshrike, Rufous-tailed Foliage-Gleaner but dipped again on Snow-capped Manakin. I heard an Antbird calling and tried Striated on the mp3 player and the bird reacted immediately showing itself in a tangle of vines above our heads. We spent the last 45 minutes on the tower and had the endemic Tooth-billed Wren, as the sun started to set about 40 Common Nighthawks started hawking over the forest. When we got back to the lodge we went to look for Zigzag Heron again but didn’t even here them. We finished with a day total of 87. 

17th December After a hot sticky night we decided to try a new trail a few km upriver. It proved to be a good move when I finally got the last family tick I could expect when we came across a small group of Dark-winged Trumpeters moving away from a small the tail end of an ant-swarm, also around there we had brief views of a Bare-eyed Antbird, Saturnine Antshrike, Cinnamon-rumped Foliage-Gleaner and Painted Parakeet (of which ever split it is here). We carried on up the trail to another Serra on top of the hill, on the way up we taped in Natter’s Slaty Antshrike. After lunch we had a swim in the river – apparently the caimans and pirranahs don’t bite humans here! We went for a walk around the bamboo trail but soon got rained off although we did have a Black-bellied Cuckoo in the lodge clearing. Late afternoon was spent watching the river from the pontoon and drinking beer. 
18th December Today after breakfast we went up river to the Kawall’s Trail in search of Flame-crested Manakin, which we taped in immediately and had fantastic views. We then moved on up to Dr. Haffer Trail, we had Reddish Hermit before we’d even got off the boat. In a lek of Screaming Piha’s we finally managed to see what we presumed was a female perched at mid-height. Then we had fantastic views of a pair of Dark-winged Trumpeters displaying. We moved on a little further and heard a Black-faced Antthrush calling, we played the mp3 and eventually it came very close but even still only Frank saw the bird as it crept across a gap in the undergrowth. Also in this area we had Emelia’s Antwren (a race of Dot-winged), Amazonian Antshrike and Manu Antbird. As we arrived back at the lodge it chucked it down for a good two hours, when the weather cleared I had a walk around the lodge clearing and had a Tooth-billed Wren. We then went on the trails in search of the diminutive Banded Antbird, eventually we had brilliant views down to just a few feet. We went to the tower for a short while and had two more new birds – White-bellied Parrot and Yellow-shouldered Grosbeak, on the way back to the lodge we tried again to call in Thrush-like Antpitta but failed and also failed again on getting views of Zigzag Heron, despite being able to hear them. 

19th December It was my last full day and a day to try and catch up on some target species I had so far missed. The day didn’t start well with rain for the first few hours of daylight. The main target was to get Kawall’s Amazon – an endemic, we set off up river towards Kawall’s Trail. We had only gone about 500 metres when a Long-billed Woodcreeper flew across the river, a little further and a large bird perched in a riverside tree proved to be the target species – Kawall’s Amazon. We could relax a little now, we went in search of Bronzy Jacamar and found them easily this time on the Kawall’s Trail. We moved on up to Limao and had two perched King Vultures and a good selection parrots including some flyover Dusky-billed Parrotlets. After lunch I had a walk around the lodge clearing and a Black-girdled Barbet and a female White-crowned Manakin. At 14.30 we had a ride down to the Teles Pires River, we had a walk along the road on the south side of the river, we had a few antbirds including Silvered. The Island was quiet and the only new bird was a Straight-billed Woodcreeper. The journey back up river as the sun was setting was very peaceful, with a few flocks of macaws in flight, a pair of Ladder-tailed Nightjars and a Boat-billed Heron. Plenty of beer was consumed in the evening. 

20th December After coffee at 05.00 we had another quick look for Thrush-like Antpitta and again failed and then went and joined Arthur and Libby on the Canopy Tower. Thick mist was hanging over the forest but it slowly burnt off and we had a new bird with Slate-coloured Grosbeak, and also had a White-browed Purpletuft, Swallow Tanager and Black-bellied Cuckoo. At 08.00 we returned to the lodge for breakfast. At 09.15 I left the lodge with Libby and Arthur, it was a quiet river journey, but on the road back to Alta Floresta we had a Grey Tinamou and a couple of Pearl Kites. A stop at the palm swamp again proved fruitless for the Palmcreeper. Once back at the hotel, I found that my bus ticket had been purchased for me, which saved me some hassle. The afternoon was spent around the hotel fragment, but it was quiet apart from good views of 2 Screaming Pihas. I was taken to the bus station at 18.30 but had to stop halfway when 3 Red-bellied Macaws flew over the road. The bus left at 19.00 and I was in for another long night.

 21st December The bus arrived at Cuiaba at 08.00, but I had all day to waste before my late afternoon flight to Sao Paulo. I stayed at the bus station for a few hours, using the internet and then catching up on some notes. I then caught a taxi to the airport at the other side of the city. I had a trip tick outside the airport – Picui Ground-Dove. It was a boring day, eating, drinking and note-writing. This was made worse by all flights were delayed, and there was no where to have a sleep. My 16.30 flight finally arrived at 00.30 and took off at 01.00, I landed in Sao Paulo at 05.30 and got a taxi straight to the Caesar Business Hotel close by. 

22nd December My brother had been delayed at Heathrow by 24 hours due to fog and he finally arrived at about 09.00. after catching up on events we caught a taxi to the airport and picked up our hire car and then went back to the hotel. Paul had a sleep for a while and I did some birding around the hotel, there were a couple of artificial lakes attached to the hotel and I had Pied-billed Grebes and White-tailed Kite. The afternoon was spent drinking in the bar which went on into the evening. 

23rd December We had a lie in and then went for some coffee in the restaurant. We packed and then headed for the coast, calling at the airport first for some money and also to get a map. We then headed across the Serra do Mar and to the coast. We stopped at a small seaside town for shrimps and beer and watched Brown Boobies and Magnificent Frigatebirds feeding offshore. We continued along the beautiful coastline to Ubatuba, our base for the next four days. After a visit to the tourist information office we soon found our guest house, perched on a gated peninsula overlooking the sea. It was a superb house with its own swimming pool and plenty of trees with tanagers (including Brazilian) feeding on bananas put out for them. Thomas and Lillian, the owners had only just started letting out rooms in their house and we were their only guests over the Christmas period. We went out for a drive and called at a Japanese restaurant for some food. The evening was spent with Thomas and Lillian. 

24th December An early start where I had a walk around the peninsula adding Brown-crested Flycatcher and down to a private beach through secondary forest. There were a few species of Tanager, but also Rufous-winged Antwren and Swallow-tailed Hummingbird. The rest of the day was spent on the nearby beach drinking in the many bars, eating and watching the beautiful women walking by. In the evening Thomas and Lillian invited us to their Christmas dinner and we had a very enjoyable evening. 

25th December An early start, we had a drive to Folha Seca - an area of good forest nearby. I had a couple of hours there on the main track and soon picked up Slaty-Bristlefront. At Jonas’s garden, I went in and had a chat with him and watched all the hummingbirds (including Festive Coquette)on his feeders and had a nice selection of other birds feeding there including Slaty-breasted Wood-Rail. The track also produced several Scaled and Ferruginous Antbirds and Long-billed Wren. Most of the day was spent on the beach watching beautiful women and drinking ice cold beer on a hot sunny day – what a way to spend Christmas Day. 

26th December I got up at dawn and drove to Corcovado which is near Folha Seca, I tried for Fork-tailed Tody-Tyrant and Spotted Bamboowren but couldn’t call either in. I did see the endemic Yellow-browed Tody-Flycatcher and added White-browed Warbler and Tropical Parula to the trip list. I then moved onto Folha Seca again but pretty much saw the same species as yesterday. Again most of the day was again spent on the beach getting slowly pissed.

27th December A Southern Beardless-Tyrannulet in the tree outside my bedroom was a nice sight first thing in the morning. We packed and left at 09.00. We headed east towards Pereque, a site for Black-hooded Antwren, this was to be my last proper birding of the trip. We found the site straight away, I found a Tody-tyrant in a tree and struggled identifying it at first, but when I played the mp3 of Fork-tailed it came straight down and showed itself really well. A little further on I managed to call in Squamate Antbird - a very nice and confiding bird and then the main quarry, a cracking male Black-hooded Antwren. From there we continued east looking for somewhere to stop for the night. Eventually we pulled in at the Portogallo Suite Hotel – a bit on the expensive side at £100 for the room but it included dinner and breakfast. 

28th December I had a walk down the entrance road to the hotel which was surrounded by secondary growth and saw a few species, including Chestnut-backed Antshrike, Ferruginous Antbird, Yellow Tyrannulet, Cliff Flycatcher and my last new bird of the trip – Lemon-chested Greenlet. We then headed for Rio de Janeiro through some pretty bad rainstorms. We arrived at our pre-booked Florida Hotel in Flamengo district mid-afternoon. The only birds seen in Rio over the next few days were lots of Neotropic Cormorants and Magnificent Frigatebirds flying over the city, and the only bird added to the trip list was Peregrine over the hotel. 

29th-31st December The whole time in Rio was spent duding it and doing touristy type things, plus lots of drinking and watching loads of fit women. We flew home on the evening of 31st, getting the New Year somewhere mid-Atlantic. 

 

Systematic List 

1. Greater Rhea Rhea americana Only seen in the Pantanal when 3 on 2nd and 17 on 6th Dec. 

2. Grey Tinamou Tinamus tao Just one seen on the road between the boat launch and Alta Floresta on 20th Dec. 

3. Undulated Tinamou Crypturellus undulates Commonly heard in the Pantanal, with up to 6 a day. Three singles sighted there and also several heard on The Island at Cristalino Lodge. 

(Brazilian Tinamou) Crypturellus strigulosus 2-3 heard daily at Cristalino, but never got close to one. 

(Small-billed Tinamou) Crypturellus parvirostris A minimum of 4 heard but couldn’t be seen despite being very close in cerrado along the Agua Frio road near Chapada dos Guimaraes on 9th Dec. 

4. Red-winged Tinamou Rhynchotus rufescens Two singles seen when flushed in cerrado; one on the Agua Frio road and one at the Chapada National Park. 

5. Least Grebe Tachybaptus dominicus 3 at Guappi Accu on 30th Nov. 

6.Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps At least 10 on a lake next to the Caesar Business Hotel in Sao Paulo on 22-23rd Dec. 

7. Brown Booby Sula leucogaster Common offshore from Ubatuba and the coast north from there, when up to 15 a day could be seen. 

8. Neotropic Cormorant Phalacrocorax brasilianus Common along the coast and in the Pantanal, with smaller numbers along the Rio Cristalino. 

9. Anhinga Anhinga anhinga Up to 15 seen at the two days at Rio Pixaim in the Pantanal, 1-3 seen daily at Cristalino Lodge, and 1 on the fishing ponds at the Alta Floresta Hotel on 20th Dec. 

10. Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens Good numbers seen along the coast from Ubatuba to Rio de Janeiro, large numbers were seen flying over Rio late in the afternoons when a minimum of 200+ were seen on 28th Dec. 

11.Whistling Heron Syrigma sibilatrix 2 seen on the Jacamar excursion on 28th Nov. and 1-4 seen daily in the Pantanal. 

12. Capped Heron Pilherodius pileatus Single figure counts daily of this superb heron in the Pantanal and at Cristalino Lodge with a max. count of 11 in the Pantanal. 

13. Cocoi Heron Ardea cocoi Common in the Pantanal with a max. count of 20 on 3rd, one at Cristalino Lodge on 19th and 1 in San Paolo on 22nd-23rd Dec. 

14. Great Egret Ardea alba 8 on the Jacamar excursion, common in the Pantanal with a max. of 200 on 6th Dec., 4 near Alta Floresta on 11th and 1-10 seen daily along the Atlantic coast. 

15. Snowy Egret Egretta thula Surprisingly only a few seen: 4 on the Jacamar excursion, 1 at Guappi Accu and 3 singles along the Atlantic coast in late Dec. 

16. Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis 8 on the Jacamar excursion, 4 in Rio on 1st Dec., 2 in the Pantanal on 2nd and 30 there on 6th. 

17. Striated Heron Butorides striatus 3 on Jacamar excursion, 3 at Guappi Accu, then 1-6 daily in the Pantanal and 2 singles seen at Cristalino Lodge. 

18. Agami Heron Agamia agami A superb immature bird was watched feeding for 30 minutes on the Rio Pixaim in the Pantanal on 3rd Dec. 

19. Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax 1 in Rio on 1st Dec., 1 in the Pantanal on 4th and 2 at Caesar Business Hotel in San Paulo on 22nd-23rd Dec. 

20. Boat-billed Heron Cochlearius cochlearius 2 seen roosting on the Rio Pixaim in the Pantanal on 3rd and 1 feeding at dusk at Cristalino Lodge on 19th Dec. 

21. Rufescent Tiger-Heron Tigrisoma fasciatum Common in the Pantanal with up to 30 a day, otherwise just a single near Cuiaba and two at Cristalino Lodge. 

22. Zigzag Heron Zebrilus undulates Heard daily at Cristalino Lodge, the silhouette of a calling bird seen on my first day, but after that no more sightings, despite several attempts, however Arthur Grosset photographed them two nights running during my stay. 

23. Wood Stork Mycteria Americana Only 3 singles were seen in the Pantanal, 17 were seen over Chapada dos Guimaraes on 9th and a flock of 350+ over the Cristalino River on 16th. 

24. Jabiru Jabiru mycteria Seen daily in the Pantanal where it was common with a max. count of 70 on 6th and also an active nest in the grounds of Fazenda Santa Teresa. 

25. Plumbeous Ibis Theristicus caerulescens Only seen in the Pantanal, where up to 15 were seen daily. 

26. Buff-necked Ibis Theristicus caudatus Just 1-10 seen daily in the Pantanal. 

27. Green Ibis Mesembrinibis cayennensis Up to 7 seen on the Rio Pixaim in the Pantanal and 2-6 seen daily along the Cristalino River. 

28. Bare-faced Ibis Phimosus infuscatus Much scarcer than expected, with just 1-2 on three days at Fazenda Santa Teresa. 

29. Southern Screamer Chauna torquata Only seen in the Pantanal with 2 and 6 seen on the two days at Pousada Jaguar and 5 in flooded fields at the start of the Transpantaniera. 

30. White-faced Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna viduata 1-2 daily in the Pantanal, apart from c.100 near the start of the Transpantaniera on 6th, 2 near Cuiaba on 10th, 1 over Cristalino River on 19th and 2 near Sao Paulo on 22nd Dec. 

31. Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna autumnalis Only seen in the Pantanal: 30 on 2nd; 18 on 5th; and 400+ seen on 6th. 

32. Muscovy Duck Cairina moschata Up to 6 daily in the Pantanal and 2-5 on three dates on the Cristalino River. 

33. Brazilian Teal Azazonetta brasiliensis 6 were seen on the Jacamar excursion, 4 seen at Guappi Accu and one in the Pantanal on 6th Dec. 

34. Masked Duck Nomonyx dominica A pair were seen in the open at Guappi Accu on 30th Nov. 

35. Black Vulture Coragyps atratus A very common and widespread bird, seen almost daily in large numbers. 

36. Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura The only definite sightings were 4 on 4th and 10 on 5th in Pantanal and 2 in Ubatuba on 25th Dec. 

37. Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture Cathartes burrovianus 1-2 occasionally seen over the Atlantic rainforest and 2-8 seen daily in the Pantanal. 

38. Greater Yellow-headed Vulture Cathartes melambrotus 2-10 seen daily at Cristalino Lodge, where they were even seen on the forest floor feeding on a dead Tamarua. 

39. King Vulture Sarcoramphus papa Only seen at Cristalino with 1-2 on four dates. 

40. Osprey Pandion haliaetus The only record was of 2 in the Pantanal on 3rd Dec. 

41. Grey-headed Kite Leptodon cayanensis 2 were seen on the Jacamar excursion and 1 was over the Cristalino River on 19th Dec. 

42. Swallow-tailed Kite Elanoides forficatus 36 near Cuiaba on 2nd, then 1-5 seen almost daily in Chapada and at Cristalino Lodge. 

43. Pearl Kite Gampsonyx swainsonii 2 were seen on roadside wires between the Teles Pires River and Alta Floresta Hotel on 20th Dec. 

44. White-tailed Kite Elanus leucurus Just one seen at the Caesar Business Hotel in Sao Paulo on 22nd Dec. 

45. Snail Kite Rostrhamus sociabilis Surprisingly none seen in the Pantanal and just one seen between Alta Floresta and Teles Pires River on 11th Dec. 

46. Plumbeous Kite Ictinia plumbea 1 en route to the Pantanal on 1st, 1-3 on three dates at Cristalino Lodge and 10 over Alta Floresta Hotel on 20th Dec. 

47. Crane Hawk Geranospiza caerulescens Just one seen in trees around the Pousada Jaguar in the Pantanal on 5th Dec. 

48. Mantled Hawk Leucopteris polionotus One flew over the road just south of Serra dos Tucanos on 1st Dec. 

49. Great Black Hawk Buteogallus urubitinga 1-2 seen daily in the Pantanal. 

50. Savannah Hawk Buteogallus meridionalis 1 seen on the Jacamar excursion, 1-5 in the southern Pantanal and 2 at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 9th Dec. 

51. Black-collared Hawk Busarellus nigricollis Common in the Pantanal, with up to 10 a day seen. At Fazenda Santa Tereza, the boatman feeds them Piranhas giving a great opportunity for photographs, also 2 seen on the Cristalino River on 16th Dec. 

52. Grey Hawk Asturina nitida Just one seen over Cerrado near Chapada dos Guimaraes on 9th Dec. 

53. Roadside Hawk Buteo magnirostris Common throughout except at Cristalino. Usually 1-4 seen in a day. 

54. Short-tailed Hawk Buteo brachyurus Just one seen near Chapada dos Guimaraes on 9th Dec. 

55. White-tailed Hawk Buteo albicaudatus 3 seen on the Jacamar excursion and 1 seen next day on the High altitude excursion. 

56. Crested Eagle Morphnus guianensis This bird took all three of us by surprise when one flew low across a track through forest in the Pantanal on 6th Dec. More prolonged views would have been preferred but there was no doubt to the birds identity. 

57. Harpy Eagle Harpia harpyja A ten month old juvenile was still at the nest when I visited the Alta Floresta Hotel. The nest is in a small forest fragment in the hotel grounds, the bird was full grown and a bit hit and miss when I saw the bird as it was regularly away from the nest, luckily I saw the bird on the nest eating a monkey! 

58. Black Caracara Daptrius ater 1-2 seen daily at Cristalino Lodge. 

59. Red-throated Caracara Ibycter americanus At Cristalino Lodge, 1 seen on 13th and 2 on 19th Dec. 

60. Southern Caracara Caracara plancus Common and widespread away from Cristalino Lodge. 

61. Yellow-headed Caracara Milvago chimachima 1-4 seen almost daily in open areas near forest, not seen at Cristalino Lodge. 

62. Laughing Falcon Herpetotheres cachinnans 1 in the Pantanal on 2nd and singles seen on 5 dates at Cristalino Lodge. 

63. American Kestrel Falco sparverius 1-4 seen occasionally in the more open areas, none seen at Cristalino Lodge. 

64. Aplomado Falcon Falco femoralis 1 seen above the Cedae Trail, Tres Picos, 1 on Jacamar excursion and 1 at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 8th Dec. 

65. Bat Falcon Falco rufigularis 2 and 4 seen on two days south of Pousada Jaguar, 2 at the waterfalls in Chapada National Park and 1-5 seen daily along the Cristalino River. 

66. Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus 2 causing havoc amongst the pigeons in Rio de Janeiro on 30th De3c. 

67. Chaco Chacalaca Ortalis canicollis Very common along the Transpantaniera through the Pantanal, with an estimated 150 on 3rd. 

68. Spix’s Guan Penelope jacquacu 1-4 seen on five dates at Cristalino Lodge, with 1-2 birds regularly feeding on fruiting trees in the lodge clearing. 

69. CHESTNUT-BELLIED GUAN Penelope ochrogaster 1-4 seen daily along the Transpantaniera in the Pantanal. 

70. Blue-throated Piping-Guan Pipile cumanensis Common in the Pantanal, with 10+ seen on 5th. Usually seen in the tree tops or in flight. 

71. Red-throated Piping-Guan Pipile cujubi 2-5 seen almost daily along the Cristalino River. 

72. Razor-billed Currasow Mitu tuberose Four seen on the Brazil Nut Tree Trail at Cristalino Lodge on 14th Dec. Much more elusive than the following species, but apparently a good sign that there is no hunting in the area, as this is one of the first species to disappear. 

73. Bare-faced Currasow Crax fasciolata Easily seen in the Pantanal, particularly along the river edges with up to 12 in a day. A family party of 3 were seen in the lodge clearing at Cristalino on 3 days. 

74. Hoatzin Opisthocomus hoazin Just one seen at Cigana Lagoon on the Cristalino River on 16th Dec. 

75. Limpkin Aramus guarauna 1 near Guappi Accu on 30th Nov., then up to 15 seen daily in the Pantanal. 

76. DARK-WINGED TRUMPETER Psophia viridis 4 were seen walking away from an antswarm on the Haffer Trail and the next day 2 were seen displaying in the middle of the path on a new trail – superb. 

77. Grey-necked Wood-Rail Aramides cajanea 1 seen on the Jacamar excursion, 2-7 seen daily in the Pantanal and 2 seen en route between Ubatuba and Rio on 27th. 

78. Slaty-breasted Wood-Rail Aramides saracura 2 were seen feeding on grain in the hummingbird garden at Folha Seca near Ubatuba on 25th and 26th. 

79. Ash-throated Crake Porzana albicollis Two (1 seen and 1 heard) on the Jacamar excursion and 2 heard at Guappi Accu. 

80. Paint-billed Crake Neocrex erythrops 2 showed extremely well feeding on a farm path near a forest fragment near Chapada dos Guimaraes. 

81. Blackish Rail Pardirallus nigricans Just one seen on the Jacamar excursion. 

82. Purple Gallinule Porphyrio martinica 1 seen on Jacamar excursion, 2 at Guappi Accu and 1 at Alta Florest Hotel on 11th Dec. 

83. Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus 2 at Jacamar excursion, 6 at Guappi Accu and 6 at Caesar Business Hotel on 22nd and 23rd. 

84. Sungrebe Heliornis fulica 1 was seen on the Rio Pixaim from Fazenda Santa Tereza on 4th and 1 was seen along the Cristalino River on 17th Dec. 

85. Sunbittern Eurypyga helias Up to 5 seen along the Rio Pixaim on the two days at Fazenda Santa Tereza, 5 seen on the Transpantaniera on 6th and 2 seen on two dates along the Cristalino River. 

86. Red-legged Seriema Cariama cristata 1 seen on the Jacamar excursion, then in Chapada, 6 were seen on 7th, including a bird dust bathing along the road to Agua Frio and 1 heard on 9th. 

87. Wattled Jacana Jacana jacana Small numbers seen throughout except at Cristalino Lodge. Up to 30 a day seen in the Pantanal. 

88. Pied Lapwing Vanellus cayanus 1-2 seen along the Pixaim River in the Pantanal on 2nd-4th Dec. 

89. Southern Lapwing Vanellus chilensis Widespread in small numbers, with a max. of 40 in the Pantanal on 2nd. 

90. Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria 1 on the Jacamar excursion, and 1- 6 daily in the Pantanal. 

91. Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus Common on the Atlantic coast with up to 50 a day. 

92. Rock Dove/Feral Pigeon Columba livia Common in towns and cities. 

93. Scaled Pigeon Patagioenas speciosa At Chapada dos Guimaraes, 3 on 7th and 2 on 9th. The only other seen was one at Alta Floresta Hotel on 20th Dec. 

94. Picazura Pigeon Patagioenas picazuro Small numbers seen during the first week in the Atlantic Rainforest and also in the Pantanal. 

95. Pale-vented Pigeon Patagioenas cayennensis Common in the Pantanal and at Chapada with up to 20 a day, also 3 seen at Cristalino Lodge on 19th Dec. 

96. Plumbeous Pigeon Patagioenas plumbea A few singles seen at Serra dos Tucanos, also a few singles at Cristalino Lodge with 5 on 16th Dec. Difficult to tell from the next species and best done by voice. 

97. Ruddy Pigeon Patagioenas subvinacea Just 3 singles identified along the Cristalino River. 

98. Ruddy Ground-Dove Columbina talpacoti Common and widespread, although only seen on The Island and Limao at Cristalino. 

99. Picui Ground-Dove Columbina picui Just 2 seen at Cuiaba Airport on 21st Dec. 

100. Scaled Dove Columbina squammata Only seen in the Pantanal with up to 10 seen daily. 

101. Long-tailed Ground-Dove Uropella campestris 2 seen on the entrance road to Fazenda Santa Teresa 4th Dec. 

102. White-tipped Dove Leptotila verreauxi Small numbers seen mainly in the Pantanal where up to 30 in a day. Very difficult to separate from the next species, call is the best feature and also in more open habitat, Grey-fronted always seemed to be calling from deep forest. 

103. Grey-fronted Dove Leptotila rufaxilla Heard daily at Serra dos Tucanos and forested areas in the Pantanal, usually seen in flight when disturbed off the forest floor. 

104. Ruddy Quail-Dove Geotrygon Montana Just one seen at Cristalino Lodge on 12th Dec. 

105. Hyacinth Macaw Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus One of the main target birds and certainly one of the highlights of the trip. We only saw them around the Pousada Jaguar and just south of there, but they can be seen even near the start of the Transpantaniera. Several roosted in a large tree above the Pousada Jaguar and our max. day count was 28 on 5th Dec. 

106. Blue and Yellow Macaw Ara ararauna 2 flew over the road near Cuiaba on 6th Dec, then small numbers seen daily at Cristalino Lodge with up to 7 birds in a flock. 

107. Scarlet Macaw Ara macao Only seen at Cristalino where up to six seen on 3 dates, although many birds viewed from underneath went unidentified. 

108. Red and Green Macaw Ara chloroptera 2 seen over the waterfalls at Chapada National Park on 7th Dec. and up to 10 seen daily at Cristalino Lodge. 

109. Chestnut-fronted Macaw Ara severa The commonest and most frequently encountered Macaw at Cristalino with up 20 a day. 

110. Red-bellied Macaw Orthopsittaca manilata 3 seen in Alta Floresta city, although they do come into roost at the fishponds next to the hotel most evenings. 

111. Blue-winged Macaw Primolius maracana 6 seen on the Jacamar excursion, up to 4 seen daily at the waterfalls in Chapada National Park. 

112. Golden-collared Macaw Primolius auricollis Up to 4 seen daily on 3 days at Pousada Jaguar in the Pantanal. 

113. Red-shouldered Macaw Diopsittaca nobilis Just 8 were seen in a tree near the entrance to Chapada National Park on 9th Dec. 

114. White-eyed Parakeet Aratinga leucophthalmus The most widespread parrot, being seen in most areas with up to 40 at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 7th Dec. 

115. Peach-fronted Parakeet Aratinga aurea Just 2 seen along the Agua Frio Road in Chapada on 8th and 2 heard there the next day. 

116. Nanday Parakeet Nandayus nenday Just 3 flew across the Pixaim River in the Pantanal on 3rd Dec. 

117. Maroon-bellied Parakeet Pyrrhura frontalis Up to 10 seen daily during the first week in the Atlantic Rainforest. 

118. Crimson-bellied Parakeet Pyrrhura perlata At Cristalino Lodge, 20 on 11th and 30 on 13th. 

119. Painted Parakeet Pyrrhura picta/hellmayr’s/snethlage At Cristalino Lodge 2 on 17th and 6 on 20th. The Painted Parakeet has been split by Clements into several species and the literature at Cristalino Lodge suggests the birds are the endemic Hellmayr’s Parakeets. 

120. Monk Parakeet Myiopsitta monachus Just seen in the Pantanal where up to 20 a day were seen. 

121. Blue-winged Parrotlet Forpus xanthopterygius An Atlantic Rainforest endemic and just 3 seen on the Cedae Trail on 25th Nov. and 2 at Serra dos Tucanos on 1st Dec. 

122. Dusky-billed Parrotlet Forpus sclateri 5 seen in flight at Limao along the Cristalino River on 19th Dec. 

123. PLAIN PARAKEET Brotogeris tirica Common in the Atlantic Rainforest at Serra dos Tucanos and Folha Seca, Ubatuba. 

124. Yellow-chevroned Parakeet Brotogeris chiriri Common in the Pantanal with up to 50 a day seen, also 6 at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 9th Dec. 

125. Golden-winged Parakeet Brotogeris chrysopterus Up to 15 seen on 3 dates at Cristalino Lodge, particularly around Limao. 

126. White-bellied Parrot Pionites leucogaster Just four of this cracking parrot seen from the Canopy Tower at Cristalino Lodge on 18th and 20th Dec. 

127. Orange-cheeked Parrot Pionopsitta barrabandi A rare bird at Cristalino Lodge, 1 on 15th and 2 on 20th. 

128. Blue-headed Parrot Pionus menstruus 2 at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 8th Dec. and seen daily at Cristalino Lodge with up to 10 a day. 

129. Scaly-headed Parrot Pionus maximiliani At Serra dos Tucanos, 16 on 26th and 6 on 27th, in the Pantanal 10 on 4th and 4 on 6th. 

130. Blue-fronted Parrot Amazona aestiva Common in the Pantanal with up to 30 seen daily. 

131. Orange-winged Parrot Amazona amazonica 10 in the Pantanal on 5th and 2 at Cristalino Lodge on 12th Dec. 

132. KAWALL’S PARROT Amazon kawalli Just one seen along the Cristalino River on 19th Dec. with another heard the same day. 

133. Mealy Parrot Amazona farinose Seen on both visits to Alta Floresta Hotel including a max. of 20 on 11th Dec. also 2 seen at Cristalino Lodge on 16th Dec. 

134. Red-fan Parrot Deroptyus accipitrinus A pair seen close to the Canopy Tower at Cristalino Lodge on every visit. 

135. Squirrel Cuckoo Piaya cayana Widespread in small numbers and a max. of 4 in the Pantanal on 6th Dec. 

136. Black-bellied Cuckoo Piaya melanogaster 3 singles seen at Cristalino Lodge including one at eye level at the top of the canopy tower. 

137. Little Cuckoo Piaya minuta 3 singles were seen around Pousada Jaguar in the Pantanal on 5th Dec. 

138. Greater Ani Crotophaga major Only seen in the Pantanal where it was common with a max. of 30 on 4th Dec. 

139. Smooth-billed Ani Crotophaga ani Common and widespread away from forested areas, at Cristalino Lodge only found on The Island and at Limao. 

140. Guira Cuckoo Guira guira Common and widespread apart from Cristalino Lodge where it was absent. 

(Striped Cuckoo) Tapera naevia One was heard on the Jacamar excursion but couldn’t be seen. 

(Pheasant Cuckoo) Dromococcyx phasianellus One was heard deep in forest at Chapada dos Guimaraes. 

141. Feruginous Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium brasilianum One was seen in daylight in forest at Fazenda Santa Teresa on 4th Dec. 

142. Burrowing Owl Athene cunicularia 2 seen near Guappi Accu on 30th Nov., up to 6 seen daily in the Chapada area and 5 seen between Alta Floresta and Teles Pires River on 11th Dec. 

143. Striped Owl Pseudoscops clamator One seen while spotlighting near Pousada Jaguar in the Pantanal on 5th Dec. 

144. Great Potoo Nyctibius grandis A full grown juvenile was seen at Fazenda Santa Teresa in the Pantanal on 3rd Dec. 

145. Common Potoo Nyctibius griseus One along the Cristalino River sat on its nest on 11th Dec. 

146. Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor At Cristalino Lodge, 40 moved over the forest in front of a rainstorm on 16th and 3 were over the river on 19th Dec. 

147. Nacunda Nighthawk Podager nacunda Just one seen at Fazenda Santa Maria in the Pantanal on 2nd Dec. 

148. Band-tailed Nighthawk Nyctiprogne leucopyga Up to 6 were seen over the river at dusk on the two evenings at Fazenda Santa Teresa in the Pantanal. 

149. Pauraque Nyctidromus albicollis Common in the Pantanal including 8 on the 5th near Pousada Jaguar. 

150. Rufous Nightjar Caprimulus rufus One was flushed in daylight in forest next to Fazenda Santa Teresa in the Pantanal on 3rd Dec. 

151. Blackish Nightjar Caprimulgus nigrescens 2 were resident in the lodge clearing at Cristalino Lodge, where they could be found roosting on the roofs in the daytime. Also 3 were seen on the large bare rocks on the Serra Trail. 

152. Ladder-tailed Nightjar Hydropsalis climacocerca Several seen feeding low over the river at Cristalino Lodge in the evenings, also seen roosting in the daytime, where they roost on branches overhanging the river. 

153. Sooty Swift Cypseloides fumigatus Parties of 6 and 15 were seen over Serra dos Tucanos on 26th and 30th Nov., and 4 were seen over Caesar Business Hote, Sao Paulo on 22nd and 4 over Rio de Janeiro on 30th Dec. 

154. Great Dusky Swift Cypseloides senex Only seen at the waterfalls in Chapada National Park, with 20 on 7th and 50 on 9th Dec. 

155. White-collared Swift Streptoprocne zonaris A common bird over Serra dos Tucanos, Chapada dos Guimaraes and Ubatuba. One was seen over the clearing at Cristalino Lodge on 17th Dec. 

156. Biscutate Swift Streptoprocne biscutata The only place we definitely identified this species was at the waterfalls in Chapada National Park where they came low enough to see the relevant features including the broken white collar. Up to 25 a day were seen there. 

156. Grey-rumped Swift Chaetura cinereiventris Seen almost daily in good numbers apart from in the Pantanal and at Chapada dos Guimaraes where it was absent. 

157. Pale-rumped Swift Chaetura egregia Small numbers seen daily at Cristalino Lodge, best viewed from the Canopy Tower where the differences with Grey-rumped could be more easily seen. 

158. Ashy-tailed Swift Chaetura Andrei Apparently quite common at Serra dos Tucanos, although we only definitely identified one on 26th Nov. 

159. Fork-tailed Palm-Swift Tachornis squamata 1 along the road to Agua Frio at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 9th, 2 along Cristalino River on 16th and 2 in the palm plantation en route to Alta Floresta Hotel on 20th Dec. 

160. SAW-BILLED HERMIT Ramphodon naevius 1-3 seen daily at the feeders at Serra dos Tucanos, also seen daily in the Ubatuba area with 5 at the Hummingbird Garden at Folha Seca on 25th Dec. 

161. Rufous-breasted Hermit Glaucis hirsute Just 2 seen at Cristalino Lodge on 13th Dec. 

162. Scale-throated Hermit Phaethornis eurynome 4 seen on the Bamboo Trail at Serra dos Tucanos on 27th. 

163. Planalto Hermit Phaethornis pretrei Singles seen on the Jacamar excursion, Serra dos Tucanos, Pantanal and Chapada dos Guimaraes. 

164. Reddish Hermit Phaethornis ruber At Cristalino just one seen in the forest, at Folha Seca 2 on 25th and 3 on 26th in the forest next to the Hummingbird Garden. 

165. Grey-breasted Sabrewing Campylopterus largipennis At Cristalino 2 were seen on The Island and 3 were seen on the Serra Trail. 

166. SOMBRE HUMMINGBIRD Campylopterus cirrochloris 1-5 seen daily in the garden and forest surrounding Serra dos Tucanos and 1-2 seen daily in Ubatuba. 

167. Swallow-tailed Hummingbird Eupetomena macrourus 1 on the Jacamar excursion, 2 on the High altitude excursion, 1 at Chapada dos Guimaraes and 1-3 seen daily in Ubatuba. 

168. Black Jacobin Florisuga fuscus This Atlantic Rainforest endemic was very common during the first week at Serra dos Tucanos, with up to 15 at any one time at the feeders there, also common in Ubatuba and at the hummingbird garden at Folha Seca. 

169. White-vented Violet-ear Colibri serrirostris 2 along the Agua Frio road at Chapada dos Guimaraes, 1 at Caesar Business Hotel in Sao Paulo and 1-2 seen daily in Ubatuba. 

170. Black-throated Mango Anthacothorax nigricollis 1 at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 10th and 2 seen at the hummingbird garden at Folha Seca on 25th and 26th Dec. 

171. Plovercrest Stephanoxis lalandi Just two singles seen during the first week: 1 on the Bamboo Trail; and 1 on the High Altitude excursion. 

172. FRILLED COQUETTE Lophornis magnificus The latin name describes this bird perfectly, a male was seen next to the road at the start of the Cedae Trail on 26th Nov. 

173. Festive Coquette Lophornis chalybeus Only seen at the hummingbird garden at Folha Seca, with 2 on 25th and 3 on 26th. 

174. Glittering-bellied Emerald Chlorostilbon aureoventris 4 seen on the Jacamar excursion, 1 on the High Altitude excursion, 2 singles seen at Chapada dos Guimaraes, 1 at Pereque and 2 daily at the Hummingbird Garden at Folha Seca. 

175. Fork-tailed Woodnymph Thalurania furcata 1 at Pousada Jaguar on 6th, 1-3 seen at Chapada dos Guimaraes and 1-4 seen almost daily at Cristalino Lodge. 

176. Violet-capped Woodnymph Thalurania glaucopis 1-3 seen daily at Serra dos Tucanos and at the Hummingbid Garden at Folha Seca there were 8 on 25th and 4 on 26th. 

177. White-throated Hummingbird Leucochloris albicollis Only seen during the first week, including 10+ on the Bamboo Trail and 4 others seen elsewhere. 

178. White-tailed Goldenthroat Polytmus guainumbi 2 at Pousada Jaguar in the Pantanal on 5th and 1 at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 9th Dec. 

179. Versicolored Emerald Agyrtria versicolor Singles seen in the garden of Serra dos Tucanos on 4 dates and 2 seen in the Hummingbird Garden at Folha Seca on 25th-26th. 

180. Sapphire-spangled Emerald Polyerata lacteal 3 seen on Jacamar excursion on 28th Nov. 

181. Glittering-throated Emerald Polyerata fimbriata 2 singles seen near Pousada Jaguar in the Pantanal on 5th and 6th. 

182. BRAZILIAN RUBY Clytolaema rubricauda Only 2 seen on the Bamboo Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 27th Nov. 

183. Black-eared Fairy Heliothrix aurita Just one cracking male seen at the summit of the Serra Trail at Cristalino Lodge on 15th Dec. 

184. Horned Sungem Heliactin bilopha Along the Agua Frio road at Chapada, a female seen on 7th and a superb male flew past on 9th Dec. 

185. Long-billed Starthroat Heliomaster longirostris 2 at Cristalino Lodge on 13th Dec. 

186. White-tailed Trogon Trogon viridis 2 singles seen at Cristalino Lodge – easily called in. 

187. Violaceous Trogon Trogon violaceus Just 1 seen on the Bamboo Trail at Cristalino Lodge on 11th Dec. 

188. Collared Trogon Trogon collaris Just 1 seen on the Bamboo Trial at Cristalino Lodge on 11th Dec. 

189. Surucua Trogon Trogon surrucura 2 seen on the Jacamar excursion on 28th Nov. and 7 seen around Fazenda Santa Teresa in the Pantanal on 3rd Dec. 

190. Blue-crowned Trogon Trogon curucui 4 just south of Pousada Jaguar in the Pantanal on 6th Dec. 

191. Black-tailed Trogon Trogon melanurus Just 1 seen on the Bamboo Trail at Cristalino Lodge on 11th Dec. 

192. Ringed Kingfisher Ceryle torquatus 1 on the Jacamar excursion, up to 20 a day seen in the Pantanal and 1-2 seen almost daily along the Cristalino River. 

193. Amazon Kingfisher Chloroceryle amazona Up to 10 seen daily in the Pantanal and 2-4 seen daily along the Cristalino River. 

194. Green Kingfisher Chloroceryle americana Up to 5 seen daily in the Pantanal, generally 1-2 seen daily along the Cristalino River but 6 on 16th Dec. 

195. Green-and-Rufous Kingfisher Chloroceryle inda 1-3 seen on four dates along the Cristalino River. 

196. American Pygmy Kingfisher Chloroceryle aenea 2-3 seen on 3 dates in the Pantanal and just 1 seen along the Cristalino River on 13th Dec. 

197. Blue-crowned Motmot Momotus momota 1 seen at Fazenda Santa Teresa in the Pantanal on 3rd Dec. 

198. Rufous-capped Motmot Baryphthengus martii 1 heard at Serra dos Tucanos on 25th and 1 seen on the Cedae Trail above Serra dos Tucanos on 26th Nov. 

199. Brown Jacamar Brachygalba lugubris 4 perched together on one branch along the Cristalino River on 16th Dec. 

200. THREE-TOED JACAMAR Jacamaralcyon tridactyla This extreme rarity was a must to see and one showed extremely well on the Jacamar excursion on 28th Nov. 

201. Rufous-tailed Jacamar Galbula ruficauda 1 at Guappi Accu on 30th Nov., up to 5 seen daily in the Pantanal, 1-2 daily at Cristalino Lodge and 1 at Portogalo Suite Hotel on 28th Dec. 

202. Bronzy Jacamar Galbula leucogastra 2 on the Haffer Trail at Cristalino Lodge on 19th Dec. 

203. Paradise Jacamar Galbula dea Only seen at Cristalino Lodge where it was the commonest jacamar and 1-4 were seen daily. 

204. White-necked Puffbird Notharchus macrorhynchos Just 1 seen along the Cristalino River on 19th Dec. 

205. White-eared Puffbird Nystalus chacuru 2 seen on the Jacamar excursion on 28th Nov., seen on 3 days in Chapada with 8 on 7th Dec. 

206. Black-fronted Nunbird Monasa nigrifrons Up to 5 seen daily in the Pantanal, 2 at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 9th Dec and a common bird at Cristalino with up to 10 a day seen. 

207. Swallow-wing Chelidoptera tenebrosa 2 at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 9th Dec and a very common bird along the Cristalino River with up to 15 a day. 

208. BLACK-GIRDLED BARBET Capito dayi At Cristalino Lodge a pair were seen right next to the Canopy Tower on 15th and on 19th Dec. single males were seen in the lodge clearing and on the edge of the Teles Pires River. 

209. Lettered Aracari Pteroglossus inscriptus 2 seen on three dates at Cristalino Lodge, although many flyover aracaris went unidentified. 

210. Red-necked Aracari Pteroglossus bitorquatus 2-4 seen almost daily at Cristalino Lodge. 

211. Chestnut-eared Aracari Pteroglossus castanotis 1 seen at Pousada Jaguar in the Pantanal on 6th, 2 at Chapada on 9th, and at Cristalino Lodge 2 on 12th and 3 on 18th Dec. 

212. Curl-crested Aracari Pteroglossus beauharnaesii At Cristalino Lodge, 4 on 15th and 1 on 20th Dec. 

213. Saffron Toucanet Baillonius bailloni 1+ feeding in the garden at Serra dos Toucanos on several days. 

214. Spot-billed Toucanet Selenidera maculirostris 2-4 seen daily in the garden at Serra dos Tucanos. 

215. Channel-billed Toucan Ramphastos vitellinus 1-2 seen on two dates at Serra dos Tucanos, 1 heard at Chapada dos Toucanos, and 1-2 seen on 3 dates at Cristalino Lodge, although the race there is very similar to Red-billed Toucan and is best identified by call. 

216. Red-billed Toucan Ramphastos tucanus 1-6 seen daily at Cristalino Lodge with many more unidentified toucans. 

217. Toco Toucan Ramphastos toco 1-2 seen daily in the Pantanal and 2 seen at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 9th Dec. 

218. Bar-breasted Piculet Picumnus aurifrons 3 singles were seen at Cristalino Lodge. 

219. White-barred Piculet Picumnus cirratus 1-2 seen on 3 dates at Serra dos Tucanos, 2 singles seen at Ubatuba and 2 seen at Portogalo Suite Hotel on 28th Dec. 

220. White-edged Piculet Pucumnus albosquamatus Just 1 seen at Pousada Jaguar in the Pantanal on 4th Dec. 

221. White Woodpecker Melanerpes candidus Just 1 seen while driving at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 9th Dec. 

222. Yellow-tufted Woodpecker Melanerpes cruentatus 1 in fragment forest at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 8th, and at Cristalino Lodge 1 on 19th and 2 on 20th. 

223. Checkered Woodpecker Picoides mixtus Just one seen along the Agua Frio road at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 9th Dec. 

224. Little Woodpecker Veniliornis passerinus 3 seen at Pousada Jaguar in the Pantanal on 5th Dec. 

225. White-spotted Woodpecker Veniliornis spilogaster 2 seen on the Bamboo Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 27th Nov. 

226. Red-stained Woodpecker Veniliornis affinis 3 singles seen on three dates at Cristalino Lodge. 

227. YELLOW-EARED WOODPECKER Veniliornis maculifrons 2 seen on the Cedae Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 26th Nov. 

228. Yellow-throated Woodpecker Piculus leucolaemus 2 singles seen on two dates at Cristalino Lodge. 

229. Golden-green Woodpecker Piculus chrysochloros Just one seen at Fazenda Santa Teresa on 3rd Dec. 

230. Yellow-browed Woodpecker Piculus aurulentus 3 on the Bamboo Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 27th Nov. were the only ones seen. 

231. Green-barred Woodpecker Colaptes melanochloros 2 at Chapada National Park on 8th Dec. 

232. Campo Flicker Colaptes campestris 3 seen on the Jacamar excursion, 1-4 seen on four dates in the Pantanal and Chapada region. 

233. Chestnut Woodpecker Celeus elegans Singles seen at Cristalino Lodge on 12th and 16th Dec. 

234. Pale-crested Woodpecker Celeus lugubris At Pousada Jaguar in the Pantanal 1 on 4th and 2 on 5th. 

235. Blond-crested Woodpecker Celeus flavescens 1-2 seen in the garden at Serra dos Tucanos on four dates. 

236. Lineated Woodpecker Dryocopus lineatus 1 seen on the Jacamar excursion on 28th Nov. and 1 at Cristalino Lodge on 20th Dec. 

237. Red-necked Woodpecker Campephilus robustus 1-2 seen on four dates at Cristalino Lodge. 

238. Crimson-crested Woodpecker Campephilus leucopogon 1 near Pousada Jaguar in the Pantanal on 6th and 1 at Cristalino Lodge on 13th Dec. 

239. Pale-legged Hornero Furnarius leucopus Common in the Pantanal, particularly along the Pixaim River where up to 9 were seen. 

240. TAIL-BANDED HORNERO Furnarius figulus 2 seen on the Jacamar excursion on 28th Nov and 1 en route to Rio de Janeiro on 1st Dec. 

241. Rufous Hornero Furnarius rufus Singles seen on the Jacamar excursion on 28th and High altitude excursion on 29th Nov. Common in the Pantanal with a minimum of 10 a day. 

242. Chotoy Spinetail Schoeniophylax phryganophila Just 1 seen at Pousada Jaguar in the Pantanal on 4th Dec. 

243. Pale-breasted Spinetail Synallaxis albescens Only seen along the Agua Frio road at Chapada dos Guimaraes, with 2 on 7th and 1 on 8th. 

244. Chicli Spinetail Synallaxis spixi Just 2 singles seen: 1 on the Jacamar excursion on 28th and 1 on the High Altitude excursion on 29th Nov. 

245. Rufous-capped Spinetail Synallaxis ruficapilla 1 on the Cedae Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 26th Nov. and 2 at Corcovado near Ubatuba on 26th Dec. 

246. White-lored Spinetail Synallaxis albilora 1-2 seen on four dates in the Pantanal, particularly in the wet areas. 

247. PALLID SPINETAIL Cranioleuca pallida 2 on the High Altitude excursion on 29th Nov. 

248. Rusty-backed Spinetail Cranioleuca vulpine 2-6 seen daily in the Pantanal. 

249. Yellow-chinned Spinetail Certhiaxis cinnamomea 2 seen on the Jacamar excursion on 28th, 4 at Guappi Accu on 30th Nov. and 6 near Pousada Jaguar in the Pantanal on 5th Dec. 

250. Greater Thornbird Phacellodomus rubber Only seen in the Pantanal where 2-4 were seen daily, and their large ball-like thorny nests were seen regularly. 

251. RED-EYED THORNBIRD Phacellodomus erythrophthalmus One was taped out into view on the Jacamar excursion on 28th Nov. 

252. Grey-crested Cachalote Pseudoseisura unirufa 2-6 seen daily in the Pantanal, including a nest in the garden of the Fazenda Santa Tereza. 

253. Plain Xenops Xenops minutes 1 on the Bamboo Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 27th and singles seen on three dates at Cristalino Lodge. 

254. Streaked Xenops Xenops rutilans 1-2 seen on three dates during the first week at Serra dos Tucanos. 

255. Sharp-billed Treehunter Heliobletus contaminatus 1 seen on the High Altitude excursion on 30th Nov. 

256. White-browed Foliage-gleaner Anabacerthia amaurotis Just one seen on the Cedae Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 26th Nov. 

257. Buff-browed Foliage-gleaner Syndactyla rufosuperciliata Just one seen on the Bamboo Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 27th Nov. 

258. Chestnut-winged Foliage-gleaner Philydor erythropterus One seen at Cristalino Lodge on 12th Dec. 

259. Rufous-rumped Foliage-gleaner Philydor erythrocercus Only 1 seen at Cristalino Lodge on 18th Dec. 

260. Rufous-tailed Foliage-gleaner Philydor ruficaudatus Singles seen on three dates at Cristalino Lodge. 

261. Buff-fronted Foliage-gleaner Philydor rufus 1 at Guappi Accu on 30th Nov. 

262.Cinnamon-rumped Foliage-gleaner Philydro pyrrhodes 2 seen at Cristalino Lodge on 17th Dec. 

263. Black-capped Foliage-gleaner Philydor atricapillus At Serra dos Tucanos, 1 on 25th and 2 on 26th Nov. 

264. WHITE-COLLARED FOLIAGE-GLEANER Anabazenops fuscus 1 taped in easily on the Bamboo Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 27th Nov. 

265. White-eyed Foliage-gleaner Automolus leucophthalmus 1+ at Serra dos Tucanos on 25th Nov. and 1 at Folha Seca, Ubatuba on 26th Dec. 

266. Tawny-throated Leaftosser Sclerurus mexicanus Just 1 seen at its nest on the Bamboo Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 27th Nov. 

267. Plain-brown Woodcreeper Dendrocincla fuliginosa 2 at Cristalino Lodge on 17th Dec. 

268. Long-tailed Woodcreeper Decdonychura longicauda At Cristalino Lodge seen on three dates and heard more or less daily, max. of 4 on 14th Dec. 

269. Olivaceous Woodcreeper Sittasomus griseicapillus 1-2 seen on 4 dates in the Serra dos Tucanos area and 1-2 seen on 2 dates at Cristalino Lodge. 

270. Long-billed Woodcreeper Nasica longirostris One flew over the Cristalino River on 19th Dec. and several were heard during my stay there. 

271. White-throated Woodcreeper Xiphocolaptes albicollis Singles seen on four dates in the Serra dos Tucanos area. 

272. Great Rufous Woodcreeper Xiphocolaptes major 2 singles seen in the Pantanal: fleeting glimpses of one at Fazenda Santa Teresa and one showing very well at the old research station just south of Pousada Jaguar. 

273. Buff-throated Woodcreeper Xiphorhynchus guttatus 2 singles seen in the Pantanal at Fazenda Santa Teresa and 1 at Chapada dos Guimaraes in fragmented forest on 8th Dec. 

274. LAFRESNAYE’S WOODCREEPER Xiphorhynchus guttatoides 1-2 seen on four dates at Cristalino Lodge. 

275. Straight-billed Woodcreeper Dendroplex picus 2 seen at Cristalino Lodge on 19th and 2 at Folha Seca near Ubatuba on 26th Dec. 

276. Narrow-billed Woodcreeper Lepidocolaptes angustirostris 1-2 seen daily in the Pantanal. 

277. Scaled Woodcreeper Lepidocolaptes falcinellus 1 called in and showed very well on the Jacamar excursion on 27th Nov. 

278. Lineated Woodcreeper Lepidocolaptes albolineatus Just 1 seen at Cristalino Lodge on 15th Dec. 

279. Red-billed Scythebill Campylorhamphus trochilirostris Just 1 seen in a feeding flock in woodland next to Fazenda Santa Teresa in the Pantanal on 3rd Dec. 

280. Black-billed Scythebill Campylorhamphus falcularius 1 watched very well on the High Altitude excursion on 29th Nov. 

281. Faciated Antshrike Cymbilaimus lineatus 2 singles seen at Cristalino Lodge on 16th and 17th Dec. 

282. Giant Antshrike Batara cinerea 1 male seen on the Bamboo Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 27th and 1 heard on the High Altitude excursion on 29th Dec. 

283. Large-tailed Antshrike Macenziaena leachii 1 male called in on the High Altitude excursion on 29th Nov. 

284. Great Antshrike Taraba major 3 singles seen in the Pantanal at Fazenda Santa Teresa and Pousada Jaguar. 

285. GLOSSY ANTSHRIKE Sakesphorus luctuosus Seen almost daily in riverside vegetation at Cristalino Lodge, also a very vocal species during my stay. 

286. WHITE-BEARDED ANTSHRIKE Biatas nigropectus A superb male was easily called in at a large bamboo stand on the Bamboo Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 27th Nov. 

287. Barred Antshrike Thamnophilus doliatus Only one seen along the Agua Frio road at Chapada Dos Guimaraes on 9th Dec. 

288. Chestnut-backed Antshrike Thamnophilus palliates 4 seen at Guappi Accu on 30th Nov., 1 at Cristalino Lodge on 19th and 2 at Portogalo Suite Hotel on 28th Dec. 

289. Plain-winged Antshrike Thamnophilus schistaceus 2 were seen in the top of a tangle at Cristalino Lodge on 14th Dec. and several others were heard after this. 

290. NATTERER’S SLATY-ANTSHRIKE Thamnophilus stictocephalus One male called in on the new Serra Trail at Cristalino Lodge on 17th Dec. 

291. SOORETAM SLATY-ANTSHRIKE Thamnophilus ambiguous A male called in at Guappi Accu on 30th Nov. 

292. Amazonian Antshrike Thamnophilus amazonicus 3 were seen at Cristalino Lodge on 18th Dec. 

293. Rufous-winged Antshrike Thamnophilus torquatus 1 seen along the Agua Frio road at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 7th Dec. 

294. Spot-breasted Antvireo Dysithamnus stictothorax 2 on the Cedae Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 26th Nov. and 2 at Corcovado on 26th Dec. 

295. Plain Antvireo Dysithamnus mentalis 2 singles seen at Serra dos Tucanos, 6 on the Cedae Trail on 26th Nov., 2 at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 9th Dec and 2 at Folha Seca on 25th Dec. 

296. Saturnine Antshrike Thamnomanes saturninus 2 at Cristalino on 17th and 1 on 18th Dec. 

297. Cinereous Antshrike Thamnomanes caesius 1-3 seen on three dates at Cristalino Lodge. 

298. Pygmy Antwren Myrmotherula brachyura 1-3 seen on 3 dates and heard almost daily at Cristalino Lodge. 

299. Amazonian Antwren Myrmotherula multostriata 2 singles seen on two dates at Cristalino Lodge. 

300. Plain-throated Antwren Myrmotherula hauxwelli Just one seen at Cristalino Lodge on 18th Dec. 

301. STAR-THROATED ANTWREN Myrmotherula gularis Singles seen on the Cedae Trail on 26th and at Serra dos Tucanos trails on 30th Nov. 

302. White-eyed Antwren Myrmotherula leucophthalma Just one seen at Cristalino Lodge on 14th Dec. 

303. White-flanked Antwren Myrmotherula axillaries 1 seen at Guappi Accu on 30th Nov. and 1 at Cristalino Lodge on 14th Dec. 

304. Long-winged Antwren Myrmotherula longipennis 1-4 seen almost daily at Cristalino Lodge. 

305. Banded Antwren (Antbird) Dichozona cincta A superb ground-creeping Antbird, one held territory on the loop trail at Cristalino Lodge and was finally seen down to just a few feet on 18th Dec. 

306. Large-billed Antwren Herpsilochmus longirostris Just 1 seen at Fazenda Santa Teresa on 4th Dec. 

307. Rufous-winged Antwren Herpsilchmus rufimarginatus 1 at Cristalino Lodge on 15th, and up to 4 seen daily in the Ubatuba area. 

308. Dot-winged Antwren Microrhopias quixensis 4 at Cristalino Lodge on 18th Dec. 

309. BLACK-HOODED ANTWREN Formicivora erythronotos 1 seen easily at the Pereque site on 27th Dec. 

310. Rusty-backed Antwren Formicivora rufa 3 en route to the Pantanal on 2nd, and 1-3 seen daily in cerrado at Chapada dos Guimaraes. 

311. FERRUGINOUS ANTBIRD Drymophila ferruginea 1 at Serra dos Tucanos on 26th, 2-4 seen daily at Folha Seca and Corcovado and also 2 at Portogallo Suite Hotel on 28th. 

312. Bertoni’s Antbird Drymophila rubricollis 1 taped in easily in a large bamboo stand on the Bamboo Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 27th Nov. 

313. RUFOUS-TAILED ANTBIRD Drymophila genei 3 seen on the High Altitude excursion on 29th Nov. 

314. OCHRE-RUMPED ANTBIRD Drymophila ochropyga 2 on the Bamboo Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 27th Nov. 

315. Striated Antbird Drymophila devillei Just 1 seen at Cristalino Lodge on 16th Dec. 

(Dusky-tailed Antbird) Drymophila malura 2-3 heard on the High Altitude excursion on 29th Nov. 

316. SCALED ANTBIRD Drymophila squamata 4 taped out easily on the Serra dos Tucanos trails on 1st Dec. 

317. Streak-capped Antwren Teremura maculata 3 seen on the Cedae Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 26th Nov. 

318. Grey Antbird Cercomacra cinerascens At Cristalino Lodge, 3 on 14th and 1 on 18th Dec. 

319. Mato Grosso Antbird Cercomacra melanaria 2 at Fazenda Santa Teresa in the Pantanal on 3rd with 1 there the next day. 

320. Manu Antbird Cercomacra manu 1 on the Haffer Trail at Cristalino Lodge on 18th Dec. 

321. White-shouldered Fire-eye Pyriglena leucoptera 1 on the Bamboo Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 27th Nov., 1 on the Serra dos Tucanos trails on 1st, and 2 at Corcovado near Ubatuba on 26th Dec. 

322. White-browed Antbird Myrmoborus leucophrys Heard most days at Cristalino Lodge, with sightings of 1 on 11th and 2 on 19th Dec. 

323. Warbling Antbird Hypocnemis cantator 2 seen on 14th Dec. at Cristalino Lodge, then heard almost daily afterwards. 

324. Band-tailed Antbird Hypocnemoides maculicauda 2 along the Pixaim River at Fazenda Santa Teresa in the Pantanal on 3rd Dec. 

325. Silvered Antbird Sclateria naevia A very elusive species in low riverine vegetation at Cristalino River, 2 on 16th, 1 heard on 17th and 1 on 19th Dec. 

326. SQUAMATE ANTBIRD Myrmeciza squamosa One called in to within just a few feet at Pereque on 27th Dec. 

327. BARE-EYED ANTBIRD Rhegmatorhina gymnops One was seen briefly at the remnants of an ant swarm at Cristalino River on 17th Dec. 

328. Rufous-capped Antthrush Formicarius colma 1 watched very well on 12th Dec. on the Brazil Nut Trail at Cristalino Lodge, and another heard on the Loop Trail on 14th Dec. 

(Black-faced Antthrush) Formicarius analis At Cristalino Lodge one came to within about 10 feet and was seen by Frank but I only heard it. 

329. BRAZILIAN ANTTHRUSH Chamaeza ruficauda On the Bamboo Trail near Serra dos Tucanos, 1 was seen well and another heard on 27th and 1 also seen on the High Altitude excursion on 29th Nov. 

330. SUCH’S ANTTHRUSH Chamaeza meruloides 1 seen well on the Cedae Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 26th Nov. 

(Thrush-like Antpitta) Myrmothera campanisona One was heard several times along the Loop Trail at Cristalino Lodge. 

331. Rufous Gnateater Conopophaga lineata Singles were seen on the Bamboo Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 27th and on the High Altitude excursion on 29th. 

332. BLACK-CHEEKED GNATEATER Conopophaga melanops 4 seen on the Serra dos Tucanos trails on 25th Nov. and 1 there on 1st Dec. 

333. Collared Crescent-chest Melanopareia torquata One was heard distantly on the Agua Frio road at Chapada dos Guimaraes and a superb male showed well on scrub above the waterfalls in the Chapada National Park. 

334. SLATY BRISTLEFRONT Merulaxis ater 2 were seen well at Folha Seca on 25th Dec. 

(Sharpbill) Oxyruncus cristatus 2-3 were heard calling high in the canopy (like a dropping bomb) on the Bamboo Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 27th Nov. 

335. Shrike-like Cotinga Laniisoma elegans One was seen briefly on the Bamboo Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 27th Nov. 

336. Swallow-tailed Cotinga Phibalura flavirostris One of the highlights of trip, with two showing very well on the High Altitude lower section excursion on 29th Nov. 

(BLACK-AND-GOLD COTINGA) Tijuca atra 3 heard on 29th and 1 heard on 30th both on the High Altitude excursions, unfortunately the low cloud made it impossible to see the birds. 

337. HOODED BERRYEATER Carpornis cucullatus 5 were seen or heard easily on the Bamboo Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 27th. 

338. White-browed Purpletuft Iodopleura isabellae At Cristalino Lodge singles were seen on the Brazil Nut Trail on 12th and from the Canopy Tower on 20th Dec. 

339. Screaming Piha Lipaugus vociferans Heard daily Cristalino Lodge with some quite large leks, with up to 10 singing males, but frustratingly almost impossible to see. One was finally seen on 18th Dec. and then 2 were seen in the forest fragment at Alta Floresta Hotel on 20th. 

340. Spangled Cotinga Cotinga cayana 1-4 seen almost daily at Cristalino Lodge. 

341. Bare-necked Fruitcrow Gymnoderus foetidus 1-7 seen daily at Cristalino Lodge. 

342. Amazonian Umbrellabird Cephalopterus ornatus Singles were seen on the Teles Pires River on 13th and along the Cristalino River on 16th Dec. 

343. Bare-throated Bellbird Procnias nudicollis Very common on the Bamboo Trail near Serra dos Tucanos, with at least 30 heard and about 6 seen, also 3 heard on the High Altitude excursion on 29th and 2 heard at Folha Seca on 26th Dec. 

344. White-bearded Manakin Manacus manacus At least 5 were seen at Guappi Accu on 30th Nov. including 4 males lekking, also 2 seen at Corcovado on 26th and 3 at Pereque on 27th Dec. 

345. Blue-backed Manakin Chiroxiphia pareola 1 female seen at Cristalino Lodge on 13th, and 1 heard on 15th and 2 heard on 20th Dec. 

346. Blue Manakin Chiroxiphia caudate 5 seen at Serra dos Tucanos and Cedae Trail on 26th, 10 on the Bamboo Trail on 27th Nov. and 1 at Serra dos Tucanos trails on 1st Dec. 4 were at Folha Seca on 25th and 2 there on 26th Dec. 

347. Band-tailed Manakin Pipra fasciicauda 2 cracking males seen in secondary forest at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 9th Dec. 

348. White-crowned Manakin Dixiphia pipra A female was seen next to the lodge clearing at Cristalino Lodge on 19th Dec. 

349. Red-headed Manakin Pipra rubrocapilla 1-4 seen almost daily at Cristalino Lodge. 

350. Helmeted Manakin Antilophia galeata Single males seen in the Pantanal at Fazenda Santa Teresa on 3rd and Pousada Jaguar on 4th Dec. Also 1 heard at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 9th Dec. 

351. PIN-TAILED MANAKIN Ilicura militaris A superb male was called in on the Serra dos Tucanos trails on 1st Dec. 

352. Flame-crested Manakin Heterocercus linteatus A single male was seen on the Haffer Trail at Cristalino Lodge on 18th and 1 heard there again on 19th Dec. 

353. Southern Beardless-Tyrannulet Camptostoma obsoletum 1-4 seen on 7 dates throughout except at Cristalino Lodge. 

354. Mouse-coloured Tyrannulet Phaeomyias murina 1 seen in the Pantanal at Pousada Jaguar on 4th Dec. 

355. Yellow Tyrannulet Capsiempis flaveola Just 1 seen at Portogalo Suite Hotel on 27th Dec. 

356. Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet Tyrannulus elatus 1 seen on the Brazil Nut Trail at Cristalino Lodge on 12th Dec. 

357. Forest Elaenia Myiopogis gaimardii A single seen at the Fazenda Santa Maria in the Pantanal on 4th Dec and 3 singles seen on three dates at Cristalino Lodge. 

358. Large Elaenia Elaenia spectabilis 2 singles seen in the Pantanal at Pousada Jaguar on 5th and 6th and at Chapada dos Guimaraes 2 on 7th and 1 on 8th. 

359. Yellow-bellied Elaenia Elaenia flavogaster 2 on the High Altitude excursion on 29th Nov. and 1 at Portogalo Suite Hotel on 28th Dec. 

360. Olivaceous Elaenia Elaenia mesoleuca 4 seen on the High Altitude excursion on 29th Nov. 

361. Plain-crested Elaenia Elaenia cristata 1-4 seen daily at Chapada dos Guimaraes. 

362. Lesser Elaenia Elaenia chirquensis 2 called in at the waterfalls in Chapada National Park on 9th Dec. 

363. White-crested Tyrannulet Serpophaga subcristata 6 seen on the High Altitude excursion on 29th Nov. 

364. Grey-hooded Flycatcher Mionectes rufiventris 2-3 seen on 3 days at Serra dos Tucanos. 

365. Sepia-capped Flycatcher Leptopogon amaurocephalus 2 at Serra dos Tucanos on 25th, 1 on Cedae Trail on 26th Nov. , 1 at Cristalino Lodge on 15th, 2 at Folha Seca on 25th and 2 at Portogalo Suite Hotel on 27th Dec. 

366. SERRO DO MAR TYRANNULET Phylloscartes difficilis 2 seen well on the High Altitude excursion on 29th Nov. 

367. GREY-CAPPED TYRANNULET Phyllomyias griseocapilla Singles seen at Serra dos Tucanos in the garden on 25th Nov. and 1st Dec. 

368. Campo Suiriri Suiriri suiriri There was 1 at Chapada dos Guimaraes in cerrado along the Agua Frio road on 8th and 4 there the next day, 6 birds on the 7th were either this species or the following which has recently been recognised as a new species. 

369. CHAPADA FLYCATCHER Suiriri islerorum 2 were seen along the Agua Frio road at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 9th Dec. They were seen alongside the Campo Suiriri’s, where the relevant features were fairly easy to pick out. They are generally shorter billed and starting raising their wings frantically when reacting to playback, Suriri’s also do this but no where near as vigorously. 

370. Rufous-sided Pygmy-Tyrant Euscarthmus rufomarginatus 3 seen along the Agua Frio road at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 9th Dec. Very prinia-like. 

371. Short-tailed Pygmy-Tyrant Myiornis ecaudatus 1 seen at the boat launch on the Teles Pires River at Cristalino on 13th Dec. 

372. Ochre-faced Tody-Flycatcher Poecilotriccus plumbeiceps Singles seen on the Jacamar excursion on 28th and on the High Altitude excursion on 30th Nov. 

373. Rusty-fronted Tody-Flycatcher Poecilotriccus latirostris 4 at Fazenda Santa Teresa in the Pantanal on 4th Dec. 

374. Drab-breasted Bamboo-Tyrant Hemitriccus diops 2 on the Bamboo Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 27th Nov. 

375. EYE-RINGED TODY-TYRANT Hemitriccus orbitatus 1 called in and showed extremely well at Guappi Accu on 30th Nov. 

376. HANGNEST TODY-TYRANT Hemitriccus nidipendulus 1 seen well on the Jacamar excursion on 28th Nov. 

377. Pearly-vented Tody-Tyrant Hemitriccus margaritaceiventer 1-2 seen on three dates in the Pantanal. 

378. FORK-TAILED TODY-TYRANT Hemitriccus furcatus 2 showed very well at Pereque on 27th Dec. 

379. Common Tody-Flycatcher Todirostrum cinereum 2 at Guappi Accu on 30th Nov., 1-2 seen on three dates in the Pantanal. 

380. Spotted Tody-Flycatcher Todirostrum maculatum 2 present at Limao on the Cristalino River on 13th Dec. 

381. YELLOW-LORED TODY-FLYCATCHER Todirostrum poliocephalum 2 appeared at Corcovado near Ubatuba on 26th Dec. after a quick play of its call on the mp3. 

382. Southern Antpipit Corythopis delalandi 1 seen well in secondary forest at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 9th Dec. 

383. Yellow-olive Flycatcher Tolmomyias sulphurescens Singles seen at Serra do Mar on 25th Nov. and Fazenda Santa Maria in the Pantanal on 3rd Dec. 

384. Yellow-margined Flycatcher Tolmomyias assimilis 1 seen on the Serra Trail at Cristalino Lodge on 15th Dec. 

385. White-throated Spadebill Platyrinchus mystaceus 2 seen on the Cedae Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 26th Nov. 

386. Bran-coloured Flycatcher Myiophobus fasciatus 3 seen on the Jacamar excursion on 27th, 2 on the High Altitude excursion on 28th Nov., 1 at Chapada National Park on 9th and 1 at Corcovado on 26th Dec. 

387. Whiskered Flycatcher Myiobius barbatus 1 on the Bamboo Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 27th Nov., 1 at Serra dos Tucanos on the trail on 1st and 1 at Pereque on 27th Dec. 

388. Cliff Flycatcher Hirundinea ferruginea 1-3 seen on 3 dates c.1km up hill on the road from Serra dos Tucanos and 1 on the roof of Portogalo Suite Hotel on 28th Dec. 

389. Fuscous Flycatcher Cnemotriccus fuscatus 4 in the Pantanal near Pousada Jaguar on 4th Dec. 

390. Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi 2 seen at the summit of the Serra Trail on 15th Dec.

391. Grey Monjita Xolmis cinerea 2 at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 7th and singles there and at Cuiaba Airport on 10th Dec. 

392. White-rumped Monjita Xolmis velata At least 8 seen on the Jacamar excursion on 28th Nov. and 1 seen in the Pantanal on 6th Dec. 

393. Blue-billed Black-Tyrant Knipolegus cyanirostris 2 seen on the High Altitude excursion on 29th Nov. 

394. VELVETY BLACK-TYRANT Knipolegus nigerrimus 5 seen on the High Altitude excursion on 29th Nov. 

395. Crested Black-Tyrant Knipolegus lophotes 4 seen by the road on the Jacamar excursion on 28th Nov and 1 at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 8th Dec. 

396. Masked Water-Tyrant Fluvicola nengeta 1-2 seen occasionally on the lawn of Serra dos Tucanos, also 1 and 2 seen on the two dates spent at the Portogalo Suite Hotel and 1 seen next to Flamengo Beach in Rio de Janeiro on 28th Dec. 

397. White-headed Marsh-Tyrant Arundinicola leucocephala 2 at Guappi Accu on 30th Nov., 1-4 seen on three dates in the Pantanal. 

398. Streamer-tailed Tyrant Gubernetes yetapa 3 superb males seen on the Jacamar excursion on 28th Nov. 

399. Long-tailed Tyrant Colonia colours 4 on the Cedae Trail on 26th Nov., 1-3 on four dates at Cristalino Lodge, and singles also seen at Corcovado, Pereque and Portogalo Suite Hotel. 

400. Cattle Tyrant Machetornis rixosus 10 seen on the Jacamar excursion on 28th, 2 at Guappi Accu on 30th Nov., up to 20 daily in the Pantanal and 1 at Portogalo Suite Hotel on 28th Dec. 

401. Shear-tailed Grey-Tyrant Muscipipira vetula Just one seen by JMT on the High Altitude excursion on 29th Nov. 

402. Cinnamon Attila Attila cinnamomeus 1-2 seen on four dates at Cristalino Lodge, including inside the lodge clearing. Many others heard – very vocal. 

403. Bright-rumped Attila Attila spadiceus At Cristalino Lodge singles seen from the Canopy Tower on 13th and 15th Dec. 

404. Dull-capped Attila Attila bolivianus A few heard at Pousada Jaguar on 5th and 1 seen there on 6th Dec. 

405. GREY-HOODED ATTILA Attila rufus Heard daily at Serra dos Tucanos, with at least three on our first morning there. 

406. Rufous Casiornis Casiornis rufa At least 8 seen just south of Pousada Jaguar in the Pantanal on 6th Dec. 

407. Swainson’s Flycatcher Myiarchus swainsoni Singles seen on the Jacamar excursion on 28th Nov. and in the Pantanal on 5th Dec. 

408. Short-crested Flycatcher Myiarchus ferox 1-3 seen widespread on 9 dates. 

409. Brown-crested Flycatcher Myiarchus tyrannulus 1 seen at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 7th and 1 at Ubatuba on 24th Dec. 

410. Lesser Kiskadee Philohydor lector Up to 10 seen daily in the Pantanal, and 4 seen on 2 dates at Cristalino Lodge. 

411. Great Kiskadee Pitangus sulphuratus Very common and widespread apart from at Cristalino Lodge. 

412. Boat-billed Flycatcher Megarynchus pitangua 1-4 seen on six dates throughout the country, although many would have been overlooked. 

413. Rusty-margined Flycatcher Myiozetetes cayansis 4 in the garden of Serra dos Tucanos, then small numbers seen almost daily throughout the rest of the trip. 

414. Social Flycatcher Myiozetetes similes Small numbers seen on most days at sites in the Atlantic Rainforest 

415. Streaked Flycatcher Myiodynastes maculates 1-4 seen most days away from Chapada and Cristalino Lodge. 

416. Variegated Flycatcher Empidonomus varius 1-2 seen most days at Serra dos Tucanos, 2 at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 9th, 2 at Ubatuba on 26th and 1 at Pereque on 27th Dec. 

417. White-throated Kingbird Tyrannus albogularis 2-3 seen daily at Chapada National Park. 

418. Tropical Kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus Common and widespread. 

419. Fork-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus savana 6 on the Jacamar excursion on 28th Nov., 3 at Caesar Business Hotel in Sao Paulo on 22nd Dec. 

420. Chestnut-crowned Becard Pachyramphus castaneus 2 near Serra dos Tucanos on 26th, 1 on High Altitude excursion on 29th Nov., 1 at Cristalino Lodge on 14th and 2 there on 15th Dec. 

421. Black-capped Becard Pachyramphus marginatus 2 at Guappi Accu on 30th Nov., and 2 at Cristalino Lodge on 18th Dec. 

422. Crested Becard Pachyramphus validus A pair were nesting in the garden at Serra dos Tucanos, and 1 was seen at Folha Seca on 25th Dec. 

423. Black-tailed Tityra Tityra cayana 1 on the Cedae Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 26th, 1-6 seen daily in the Pantanal and 2 at Chapada National Park on 7th Dec. 

424. Masked Tityra Tityra semifasciata 1 at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 8th, and 2-5 seen almost daily at Cristalino Lodge. 

425. Brown-chested Martin Progne tapera Widespread in small numbers, but a large roosting flock of martins on the aerial masts of the hotel on the Pixaim River in the Pantanal on 2nd Dec. contained a minimum of 500+. 

426. Purple Martin Progne subis A minimum of 1500 on the same aerial masts as the above species, otherwise just 4 at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 9th and c.200 moved in front of a storm over Cristalino Lodge on 12th Dec. 

427. Grey-breasted Martin Progne chalybea 2 at Serra dos Tucanos on 25th, up to 40 a day seen in the Pantanal and then up to 30 a day seen daily in the Ubatuba and Rio de Janeiro area. 

428. White-winged Swallow Tachycineta albiventer A very smart swallow, where it was common along the rivers in the Pantanal and at Cristalino River, with up to 20 seen daily. 

429. White-rumped Swallow Tachycineta leucorrhoa Small numbers seen on the Jacamar excursion and at Guappi Accu, seen daily in the Pantanal and 2 at Caesar Business Hotel in San Paulo on 22nd Dec. 

430. Blue-and-White Swallow Notiochelidon cyanoleuca Up to 30 seen daily during the first week at Serra dos Tucanos and the last 10 days along the Atlantic Coast. 

431. White-banded Swallow Atticora fasciata Up to 20 a day seen on the Cristalino River, always low over the water or perched on low riverside branches. 

432. Southern Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx ruficollis Widespread in small numbers apart from the Pantanal where it was absent. Up to 20 a day seen. 

433. Yellowish Pipit Anthus lutescens 1-3 seen on three dates in the Pantanal. 

434. Black-capped Donacobius Donacobius atricapilla 4 seen on the Jacamar excursion on 28th Nov., up to 20 seen daily in the Pantanal and 1 along Cristalino River on 16th Dec. 

435. Thrush-like Wren Campylorhynchus hurdinus Up to 3 seen daily around Pousada Jaguar 4-6th Dec. 

436. TOOTH-BILLED WREN Odontorchilus turdinus At Cristalino Lodge, 2 were seen from the Canopy Tower on 16th and 1 there on 18th Dec. 

437. Moustached Wren Thryothorus genibarbis 2 seen at Fazenda Santa Teresa on 3rd Dec. 

438. LONG-BILLED WREN Thryothorus longirostris 3 at Guappi Accu on 30th Nov. and 1 at Folha Seca on 25th Dec. 

439. House Wren Troglodytes aedon Common during the first week at Serra dos Tucanos and the last 10 days on the Atlantic Coast, otherwise just 1at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 8th Dec. 

440. Musician Wren Cyphorhinus aradus At Cristalino Lodge, 2 were seen well on the Brazil Nut Trail on 12th and 1-2 heard on at least three more dates – a fantastic metallic song that reminded me of encounters of the third kind!. 

441. Chalk-browed Mockingbird Mimus saturninus 1-2 seen occasionally in more open habitats, with birds at Chapada dos Guimaraes looking stained from the red soil there. 

442. Veery Catharus fuscescens JMT watched one very well on the Serra dos Tucanos trails on 1st Dec. and is the first record for that area. 

443. Yellow-legged Thrush Platycichla flavipes 1 seen on the Cedae Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 27th and 1 on the High Altitude excursion on 29th Nov. 

444. Eastern Slaty-Thrush Turdus subalaris 1 on the Cedae Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 27th Nov. 

445. Rufous-bellied Thrush Turdus rufiventris Widespread in small numbers apart from at Cristalino Lodge. 

446. Pale-breasted Thrush Turdus leucomelas 1-4 seen daily at Serra dos Tucanos and at Fazenda Santa Teresa in the Pantanal. 

447. Creamy-bellied Thrush Turdus amaurochalinus 1-4 daily at Serra dos Tucanos and at Chapada dos Guimaraes. 

(Lawrence’s Thrush) Turdus lawrencii A few heard on the Loop Trail in tops of trees but couldn’t coaxed down. 

(Cocoa Thrush) Turdus fumigatus Singles heard on three dates on the Loop Trail also invisible in the tops of trees 

448. Masked Gnatcatcher Polioptila dumicola 2 seen on three dates in the Pantanal. 

449. Purplish Jay Cyanocorax cyanomelas In the Pantanal, 7 on 3rd and 15 on 6th, and at Chapada dos Guimaraes 4 on 7th and 2 on 9th Dec. 

450. Curl-crested Jay Cyanocorax cristatellus Only seen at Chapada dos Guimaraes with 12 on 7th and 2 on 8th and 9th Dec. 

451. Common Waxbill Estrilda astrild 2 at Rio de Janeiro Airport on 2nd, 3 at Caesar Suite Hotel in Sao Paulo on 22nd, and 10 at Portogalo Suite Hotel on 27th to 28th Dec. 

452. Red-eyed Vireo Vireo olivaceus 2 seen near Serra dos Tucanos on 26th and 2 at Guappi Accu on 30th Nov. 

453. Lemon-chested Greenlet Hylophilus thoracicus Just 1 seen at Portogalo Suite Hotel on 28th Dec. 

454. Ashy-headed Greenlet Hylophilus pectoralis Two singles seen at Fazenda Santa Teresa in the Pantanal on 3rd and 4th Dec. 

455. Rufous-browed Peppershrike Cyclarhis gujanensis Singles seen on the Bamboo Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 27th Nov.; at Serra dos Tucanos on 1st Dec.; in the Pantanal on 5th; and 2 at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 7th Dec. 

456. Tropical Parula Parula pitiayumi Just 1 seen at Corcovado on 26th Dec. 

457. Golden-crowned Warbler Basileuterus culicivorus 3 singles seen during the first week at Serra dos Tucanos. 

458. White-bellied Warbler Basileuterus hypoleucus At Chapada dos Guimaraes 2 seen on 8th and 1 on 9th Dec. both in remnant forest. 

459. White-rimmed Warbler Basileuterus leucoblepharus 10 seen on the Bamboo Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 27th, 3 on High Altitude on 29th and 1 at Guappi Accu on 30th Nov. 

460. WHITE-STRIPED WARBLER Basileuterus leucophrys 2 near Pousada Jaguar in the Pantanal on 5th and 1 at Chapada dos Guimaraes in remnant forest on 8th Dec. 

461. Flavescent Warbler Basileuterus flaveolus In the Pantanal 2 on 3rd and 4 on 4th, elsewhere just 1at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 9th Dec. 

463. Rose-breasted Chat Granatellus pelzelni A ’stonking’ male seen along the Cristalino River on 16th Dec. 

464. Bananaquit Coereba flaveola Widespread in small numbers with a max. of 20+ at the hummingbird garden at Folha Seca on 26th Dec. 

465. Chestnut-vented Conebill Conirostrum speciosum 4 at Guappi Accu on 30th Nov., 4 at Fazenda Santa Teresa in the Pantanal on 3rd and 2 at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 8th Dec. 

466. BROWN TANAGER Orchesticus abeillei Just 2 seen on the Bamboo Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 27th Dec. 467. Cinnamon Tanager Schistochlamys ruficapillus Just 2 seen on the Jacamar excursion on 28th Dec. 

468. Black-faced Tanager Schistochlamys melanopis 2 seen along the Agua Frio road at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 7th Dec. 

469. White-banded Tanager Neothraupis fasciata 1-2 seen on the three days on the Agua Frio road at Chapada dos Guimaraes. 

470. White-rumped Tanager Cypsnagra hirundinacea On the Agua Frio road at Chapada dos Guimaraes there were 6 on 7th and 2 on 9th Dec. 

471. Magpie Tanager Cissopis leveriana Just 2 seen on the Jacamar excursion on 28th Nov. 

472. Chestnut-headed Tanager Pyrrhocoma ruficeps Only 1 seen on the Cedae Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 26th Nov. 

473. Guira Tanager Hemithraupis guira 1 on the Cedae Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 26th Nov. and 4 at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 7th Dec. 

474. RUFOUS-HEADED TANAGER Hemithraupis ruficapilla 1 seen at the start of the Cedae Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 26th Nov. 

475. Yellow-backed Tanager Hemithraupis flavicollis Singles seen at Guappi Accu on 30th Nov. and Serra dos Tucanos on 1st Dec., 4 on the Serra Trail at Cristalino Lodge on 15th and 1 on The Island there on 19th Dec. 

476. Hooded Tanager Nenosia pileata 3 showed very well at Guappi Accu on 30th Nov. 

477. OLIVE-GREEN TANAGER Orthogonys chloricterus Just 1 seen by JMT on the Cedae Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 26th Nov. 

478. Grey-headed Tanager Eucometis penicillata 2 near Pousada Jaguar in the Pantanal on 6th and 1 at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 9th Dec. 

479. Flame-crested Tanager Tachyphonus cristatus 2 on Cedae Trail on 26th, 1 at Serra dos Tucanos on 1st, 1-2 on two dates from the Canopy Tower at Cristalino Lodge and 2 seen on 2 dates at Ubatuba. 

480. White-shouldered Tanager Tachyphonus luctuosus Just one seen at Cristalino Lodge on 15th Dec. 

482. Ruby-crowned Tanager Tachyphonus coronatus 2-4 seen daily at Serra dos Tucanos, 1 at Pousada Jaguar on 6th, 2 at Chapada Jaguar on 7th and 2 at Folha Seca on 25th and 26th Dec. 

483. Black-goggled Tanager Trichothraupis melanops Up to 10 seen daily during the first week at Serra dos Tucanos. 

484. Red-crowned Ant-Tanager Habia rubica 1 on the Serra dos Tucanos trails on 25th Nov. and 1 at Folha Seca on 25th Dec. 

485. Hepatic Tanager Piranga flava At Chapada dos Guimaraes 2 on 7th and 3 on 9th. 

486. Silver-beaked Tanager Ramphocelus carbo Seen daily in good numbers away from the Atlantic Rainforest, where the bird is replaced by the Brazilian Tanager. 

487. BRAZILIAN TANAGER Ramphocelus bresilius 1-4 seen daily in and around Serra dos Tucanos, up to 7 seen in the Ubatuba area, also 2 seen at Portogalo Suite Hotel on 28th. 

488. Blue-grey Tanager Thraupis episcopus 2-4 seen in the more open areas at Cristalino Lodge, mainly at Limao and The Island. 

489. Sayaca Tanager Thraupis sayaca Widespread in good numbers apart from Cristalino Lodge where it replaced by the above species. 

490. AZURE-SHOULDERED TANAGER Thraupis cyanoptera Just 1 seen at the start of the Bamboo Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 27th Nov. 

491. GOLDEN-CHEVRONED TANAGER Thraupis ornate Common at Serra dos Tucanos with up to 10 seen daily. 

492. Palm Tanager Thraupis palmarum Seen daily in good numbers throughout the whole trip. 

493. Diademed Tanager Stephanophorus diadematus 2+ seen on the High Altitude excursion on 29th Nov. 

494. Purple-throated Euphonia Euphonia chlorotica 1 at Fazenda Santa Teresa in the Pantanal on 2nd and 1 at Cristalino Lodge on 16th Dec. 

495. Violaceous Euphonia Euphonia violacea Up to 10 seen daily during the first week at Serra dos Tucanos and also up to 6 on the 2 days at the hummingbird garden at Folha Sec. 

496. Thick-billed Euphonia Euphonia laniirostris 6 on the Serra Trail at Cristalino Lodge on 15th Dec. 

497. White-lored Euphonia Euphonia chrysopasta Only seen on The Island at Cristalino Lodge, with 4 on 13th and 2 on 19thDec. 

498. Orange-bellied Euphonia Euphonia xanthogaster 1-2 seen on three dates at Serra dos Tucanos. 

499. Rufous-bellied Euphonia Euphonia rufiventris 4 singles seen on four dates at Cristalino Lodge, usually in the lodge clearing or from the Canopy Tower. 

500. Chestnut-bellied Euphonia Euphonia pectoralis 1-4 seen in the garden at Serra dos Tucanos during the first week and a single seen at the hummingbird garden at Folha Seca. 

501. Blue-naped Chlorophonia Chlorophonia cyanea 4 on the Cedae Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 26th including a pair building a nest. 

502. Turquoise Tanager Tangara mexicana 2 seen on the Serra Trail at Cristalino Lodge on 15th Dec. and 2 seen from the Canopy Tower the next day. 

503. Paradise Tanager Tangara chilensis 3 seen on the Serra Trail at Cristalino Lodge on 15th Dec. 

504. Green-headed Tanager Tangara seledon Common at Serra dos Tucanos and at Ubatuba where up to 15 a day could be seen. 

505. Red-necked Tanager Tangara cyanocephala On the trails at Serra dos Tucanos, 4 on 25th Nov. and 2 on 1st Dec., 30 on the Cedae Trail on 26th Nov., up to 10 daily in the Ubatuba area. 

506. BRASSY-BREASTED TANAGER Tangara desmaresti 5 on the Cedae Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 26th, and 8 on the High Altitude excursion on 29th Nov. 

507. Green-and-Gold Tanager Tangara schrankii 1 on the Brazil Nut Trail at Cristalino Lodge on 12th Dec. 

508. Bay-headed Tanager Tangara gyrola Just 1 seen on the Serra Trail at Cristalino Lodge on 15th Dec. 

509. Masked Tanager Tangara nigrocincta 2 on the Serra Trail at Cristalino Lodge on 15th Dec. 

510. White-bellied Dacnis Dacnis albiventris Just 1 seen on the Serra Trail at Cristalino Lodge on 15th Dec. 

511. Yellow-bellied Dacnis Dacnis flaviventer At Cristalino Lodge, three seen on 16th and 4 on 19th Dec. usually along the river. 

512. Blue Dacnis Dacnis cayana Up to 8 seen on 13 dates widespread throughout the trip. 

513. Green Honeycreeper Chlorophanes spiza Just 2 seen on the Serra Trail at Cristalino Lodge on 15th Dec. 

514. Short-billed Honeycreeper Cyanerpes nitidus 4 seen along the Cristalino River on 13th and 2 on 19th Dec. 

515. Red-legged Honeycreeper Cyanerpes cyaneus Just 1 seen at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 9th Dec. 

516. Swallow-Tanager Tersina viridis At Chapada dos Guimaraes 8 on 8th and 3 on 9th, then 4 from the Canopy Tower at Cristalino Lodge on 19th Dec. 

517. Coal-crested Finch Charitospiza eucosma A very smart little finch, only seen on the Agua Frio road at Chapada dos Guimaraes where there were 3 on 7th and 1 on 9th Dec. 

518. Pileated Finch Coryphospingus pileatus Singles seen on the Jacamar excursion on 28th and at Guappi Accu on 30th Nov. 

519. Red-crested Finch Coryphospingus cucullatus At Chapada dos Guimaraes, 1 on 7th and 3 on 9th Dec. 

520. BAY-CHESTED WARBLING-FINCH Poospiza thoracica Just 1 seen on the High Altitude excursion on 29th Nov. 

521. Blue-black Grassquit Volatinia jacarina Widespread in more open areas throughout in small numbers, with a max. of 15 at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 7th Dec. 

522. Plumbeous Seedeater Sporophila plumbea Common on the Agua Frio road at Chapada dos Guimaraes with a max. of 30 on 7th Dec. 

523. Rusty-collared Seedeater Sporophila collaris 1-2 seen along the entrance to Fazenda Santa Teresa on all three dates there. 

524. Lined Seedeater Sporophila lineola Along the entrance to Fazenda Santa Teresa, there was 1 on 3rd and 10 on 4th, then 4 at Limao at Cristalino Lodge on 19th Dec. 

525. Double-collared Seedeater Sporophila caerulescens Small numbers seen daily at sites in the Atlantic Rainforest belt. 

526. White-bellied Seedeater Sporophila leucoptera 1-4 seen daily in the Pantanal. 

527. Chestnut-bellied Seed-Finch Oryzoborus angolensis 1-2 seen on two dates in the Pantanal, 1 at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 8th, and 1-2 on three dates at Cristalino Lodge. 

528. Sooty Grassquit Tiaris fuliginosa One singing male at Guappi Accu on 30th Nov. 

529. Uniform Finch Haplospiza unicolor 3 seen on the High Altitude excursion on 29th Nov. 

530. Saffron Finch Sicalis flaveola Common along the Atlantic Rainforest and coastal sites and also in the Pantanal, with a max. of 50 in the Pantanal on 2nd Dec. 

531. Stripe-tailed Yellow-Finch Sicalis citrina Along the Agua Frio road at Chapada dos Guimaraes, 2 on 7th and 8 on 8th Dec. 

532. Wedge-tailed Grass-Finch Emberizoides herbicola 1 singing male on the Agua Frio road at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 7th Dec. 

533. Red-crested Cardinal Paroaria coronata Only seen at the feeding station at Fazenda Santa Teresa where there were 2 on 2nd and 4 on 3rd. 

534. Red-capped Cardinal Paroaria gularis 1-6 daily along the Cristalino River. 

535. Yellow-billed Cardinal Paroaria capitata Only seen in the Pantanal where it was abundant with a max. of at least 200 on 3rd Dec. 

536. Pectoral Sparrow Arremon taciturnus 1-2 present in fragment forest at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 8th Dec. 

537. Saffron-billed Sparrow Arremon flavirostris 2 at a nest in fragment forest at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 8th Dec. 

538. Grassland Sparrow Ammodramus humeralis 2 on the Jacamar excursion, 1-10 seen almost daily in the Pantanal and at Chapada, 2 at Caesar Business Hotel in Sao Paulo. 

539. Rufous-collared Sparrow Zonotrichia capensis Small numbers in open areas at the Atlantic coast sites and also at Chapada dos Guimaraes. 

540. Grayish Saltator Saltator coerulescens 10-30 seen daily in the Pantanal and 1 at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 8th Dec. 

541. Buff-throated Saltator Saltator maximus Singles seen at Serra dos Tucanos on 2 dates, 2 at Chapada dos Guimaraes and 2 singles at Cristalino Lodge. 

542. Slate-coloured Grosbeak Saltator grossus 1 singing male seen from the Canopy Tower at Cristalino Lodge on 20th Dec. 

543. Black-throated Grosbeak Saltator fuliginosus 2 just up from Serra dos Tucanos on 26th Nov.

544. Thick-billed Saltator Saltator maxillosus 1 called in on the Bamboo Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 27th Nov. 

545. Black-throated Saltator Saltator atricollis Common on the Agua Frio road at Chapada dos Guimaraes where up to 10 a days seen. 

546. Yellow-shouldered Grosbeak Parkerthraustes humeralis 2 seen from the Canopy Tower at Cristalino Lodge on 18th Dec. 

547. Yellow-billed Blue Finch Porphyrospiza caerulescens 1 seen at Chapada National Park next to the waterfalls on 8th and 2 heard singing there the next day. 

548. Unicoloured Blackbird Agelasticus cyanopus Up to 20 seen a day in the Pousada Jaguar area in the Pantanal. 

549. Chestnut-capped Blackbird Chrysomus ruficapillus 10 seen on the Jacamar excursion on 28th and 4 at Guappi Accu on 30th Nov. 

550. White-browed Blackbird Sturnella superciliaris 4 on the Jacamar excursion on 28th Nov. 

551. Bay-winged Cowbird Molothrus badius Only seen in the Pantanal where up to 20 a day recorded. 

552. Shiny Cowbird Molothrus bonariensis A common roadside bird away from Cristalino Lodge. 

553. Giant Cowbird Molothrus oryzivorus 2 on the Cedae Trail near Serra dos Tucanos on 26th Nov., then 2-10 seen daily in the Pantanal. 

554. Epaulet Oriole Icterus cayanensis 1-3 seen daily in the Pantanal. 

555. Yellow-rumped Cacique Cacicus cela Up to 10 daily in the Pantanal, 10 at Chapada dos Guimaraes on 9th Dec. and up to 10 daily along the Cristalino River. 

556. Red-rumped Cacique Cacicus haemorrhous 2 at Guappi Accu on 30th Nov, 2 at Corcovado on 26th and 2 at Pereque on 27th Dec. 

557. Solitary Cacique Cacicus solitarius 2-6 seen daily in the Pantanal. 

558. Crested Oropendola Psarocolius decumanus Small numbers present in all areas visited with a daily max. of 20 in the Pantanal on 6th Dec. 

559. Scarlet-headed Blackbird Amblyramphus holosericeus 1-4 seen daily in the Pantanal. 

560. Chopi Blackbird Gnorimopsar chopi Up to 30 seen daily in the Pantanal and at Chapada dos Guimaraes. 

561. CAMPO TROUPIAL Icterus jamacaii 1-5 seen daily in the Pantanal. 

562. Hooded Siskin Carduelis magellanica 1 on the Jacamar excursion on 28th and 2 on High Altitude excursion on 29th Nov. 

563. House Sparrow Passer domesticus Common in towns and cities.

 

Author: Andy Roadhouse

 

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