Torres del Paine National park is one of the most beautiful national parks on the planet—a place where mountains, glaciers, wetlands, steppes, and forests come together to provide varied habitats for a vast array of birds, many of which are restricted exclusively to these latitudes. We will start our activities in a native Southern Beech forest, trying to see one of the region’s most magnificent birds: the Magellanic Woodpecker.  At nearly 18 inches in length, this is probably the largest woodpecker still extant in the Western Hemisphere.  In the same habitat it will also be possible to see the southernmost representative of the parrot family, the Austral Parakeet, as well as the remarkable White-throated Treerunner. Birding above timberline, we’ll try to find Bar-winged Cinclodes, Scaly-throated Earthcreeper, and Patagonian Mockingbird.  We will also visit the Torres del Paine wetlands, home to Andean Ruddy Duck, Red Shoveler, beautiful Great Grebe, and the delicate White-tufted Grebe,  Here, too, we may find Austral Parakeet and Scaly-throated Earthcreeper while circling above we may see a soaring Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle.  There is no better area on the planet for antediluvian Andean Condors.  Patagonia is also famous for its bountiful array of beautiful waterfowl.  Some of these include Coscoroba and Black-necked Swans, four species of geese, and both Flightless and Flying Steamerducks.  Black-browed Albatross, Antarctic Giant Petrel, and Chilean Skuas are all probable from within city limits of Punta Arenas, one of the southernmost communities in the world.  Spacious steppes are home to Lesser Rheas and Chocolate-vented Tyrants, and Tierra del Fuego features specialties like Magellanic Oystercatcher, and both Rufous-chested and Tawny-throated Dotterels.  Patagonia is also the wintering grounds for flocks of Baird’s and White-rumped Sandpipers, birds that migrate 10,000 miles twice annually. 

Leaders: Enrique Couve & Rick Taylor

View Falkland Island & Torres del Paine National Park Photo Gallery