Birding Northeast Argentina: Iberá Marshlands and Iguazú National Park

In the Corrientes province in the north-eastern reaches of Argentina there is a vast region locally known as the Iberá Marshlands, which is the largest wetland area in South America, after the Pantanal in Brazil. Iberá, or as the Guaraní natives call it “Shining Waters”, is a BirdLife International IBA and Ramsar Site as well as a national preserve. It covers an area nearly three times the size of the American Everglades and protects a multitude of fauna and flora occurring in such diverse habitats as lakes and swamps, palm groves, expansive grasslands, and climax forests. Over 330 bird species, including Jabiru, Snail Kite, Southern Screamer, Greater Rhea, Savanna Hawk, Black-collared Hawk, White Woodpecker, Scarlet-headed Blackbird, and Red-crested Cardinal, as well as other animals such as Capybara, Marsh Deer, Maned Wolf, Black-and-gold Howler Monkey, Big Hairy Armadillo, Yellow Anaconda, and Yacaré Caiman, are all to be found.

Strange-tailed Tyrant will be one of the targets on this north-eastern Argentina tour (photo Horacio Matarosso).

The legendary “Gauchos” (Argentine cowboys) also call Iberá home; these “cowboys” live and work on the vast cattle ranches known as “estancias”, where they still use their traditional equestrian culture in daily life. It’s on some of these “estancias” that we’ll be staying to explore the region, as the hotels are few and far between.

Come and explore this captivating paradise with us, which is combined with the fascinating Iguazú Falls, close to the border of Brazil. We’ll be spending three days in the spectacular Iguazú National Park on both the Argentinian and Brazilian sides, where birds include the likes of Black-fronted Piping Guan, Toco Toucan, Chestnut-eared Aracari, Scaly-headed Parrot, Cobalt-rumped Parrotlet, Plumbeous Kite, Tropical Screech Owl, Short-tailed Nighthawk, Great Dusky Swift, Scale-throated Hermit, Black-throated Mango, Fork-tailed Woodnymph, Surucua Trogon, Yellow-fronted Woodpecker, and Tufted Antshrike, among many more.

Yellow-fronted Woodpecker is one of several spectacular woodpecker species we may see on this tour.