NORTHERN ARGENTINA – Specialities of the Argentine Andes, the Chaco and the Iberá Marshes

PRICE INFORMATION

Birdquest Inclusions: Our tour prices include surface transportation, accommodations, meals and entrance fees.

We also include all tipping for local guides, drivers and accommodation/restaurant staff.

We also include these flights:

Salta-Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires-Posadas

Deposit: 20% of the total tour price. Our office will let you know what deposit amount is due, in order to confirm your booking, following receipt of your online booking form.

TO BOOK THIS TOUR: Click here (you will need the tour dates)

The single supplement will not apply if you indicate on booking that you prefer to share a room and there is a room-mate of the same sex available.

This tour is priced in US Dollars. Amounts shown in other currencies are indicative.

Air Travel To & From The Tour: Our in-house IATA ticket agency will be pleased to arrange your air travel on request, or you may arrange this yourself if you prefer.

NORTHERN ARGENTINA BIRDING TOUR: DETAILED ITINERARY

Northern Argentina: Day 1  Our tour begins this morning at San Miguel de Tucumán airport, from where we will drive a short distance into the Andes to Tafí del Valle for a two nights stay.

(If you would like us to provide a flight ticket from Buenos Aires to San Miguel de Tucumán, we will be pleased to do so on request even if you are arranging your own international flight tickets.)

As we leave the plains behind we shall climb along the course of the Rio Los Sosa into an area of stunningly beautiful ‘yungas’ forest. We will have plenty of time for our first exploration of this area today.

Northern Argentina: Day 2  Above Tafí Del Valle, the sun-bleached tussock grasslands, sandwiched between the impressive peaks of the Aconquija massif, provide inspiring scenery for our morning’s birding. At the Infiernillo pass, we may see majestic Andean Condors floating across the blue skies, passing between the jagged peaks surrounding us. We shall be birding near the road at heights of up to 10,500ft (3200m), enjoying the crisp morning air and the spectacular view of the cloud tops in the valley below while watching a multitude of Andean birds.

Foremost amongst these is the rare and extremely localized endemic Tucuman Mountain Finch, a chunky silvery and metallic chestnut creature known from only a handful of sites. With patience, we should locate this handsome bird this morning.

Amongst the pre-puna grasslands and rugged hillsides, or at a wetland area, we may well also find Ornate and Andean Tinamous, Pied-billed Grebe, Andean Flamingo (infrequent here), Neotropic Cormorant, Western Cattle Egret, Great and Snowy Egrets, Andean Goose, Yellow-billed Teal, Yellow-billed Pintail, Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, Variable Hawk, White-winged and Andean Coots, Southern Lapwing, White-backed Stilt, Andean Gull, the endemic Moreno’s Ground Dove, Black-winged Ground Dove, Burrowing Owl, Andean Flicker, Slender-billed Miner, the near-endemic Buff-breasted Earthcreeper, Cream-winged (or Puna) and White-winged Cinclodes, Cordilleran and Puna Canasteros, the rare, range-restricted Scribble-tailed Canastero, Streak-fronted Thornbird, the striking endemic White-browed Tapaculo, Tufted Tit-Tyrant (uncommon), White-browed Chat-Tyrant, Black-billed Shrike-Tyrant, Spot-billed, Puna and Cinereous Ground Tyrants, Hellmayr’s Pipit, Black Siskin, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Plumbeous, Ash-breasted and Band-tailed Sierra Finches, and Plain-coloured Seedeater.

We will also explore the ‘yungas’ forest below Tafí del Valle. A distinctive type of cloudforest extending in a narrow belt from northern Argentina to southern Bolivia, this habitat holds a number of restricted-range species (the yungas endemics) and possesses an ethereal beauty typical of Andean forests. The tall trees are festooned with orchids, bromeliads, mosses, lichens and other epiphytes through which ever-active mixed-species flocks roam, whilst a dense undergrowth of ferns and bamboo hides more retiring birds.

The Rio Los Sosa plunges out of the Andes through this forest and we shall search its length for Rufous-throated Dipper (the rarest and most localized of the five species of dipper) and the spectacular Torrent Duck (likely to be found riding the rapids). These luxuriant forests are home to the striking and very localized endemic Yellow-striped Brushfinch and we shall make a concerted effort to find this attractive bird. Flowering trees and shrubs attract White-bellied Hummingbird, Sparkling Violetear and the superb Red-tailed Comet.

Other species we may well see below Tafí del Valle include Pale-vented Pigeon, Eared Dove, White-collared Swift, Buff-browed Foliage-gleaner, Azara’s Spinetail (here of the buff-browed race superciliosa), White-throated Tyrannulet, the poorly known Buff-banded Tyrannulet, Black Phoebe, Great Kiskadee, Tropical Kingbird, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Chivi Vireo, Plush-crested Jay, House Wren, Andean Slaty, Chiguanco and Rufous-bellied Thrushes, House and Mountain Wrens, Blue-and-white Swallow, Hooded Siskin, Brown-capped Whitestart, Rust-and-yellow, Sayaca, Fawn-breasted and Red Tanagers, Common Bush Tanager, Rusty-browed Warbling Finch and Shiny Cowbird. Rufous-thighed Hawk and Streak-throated Bush Tyrant are uncommon possibilities.

Northern Argentina: Day 3  After some more birding in the pre-puna tussock grasslands above Tafí del Valle we will descend the west slope of Aconquija, entering dramatic columnar cactus steppe where we will look for birds such as White-sided Hillstar, Scale-throated Earthcreeper, Rufous-banded Miner, Plain-mantled Tit-Spinetail, D’Orbigny’s Chat-Tyrant, Patagonian Mockingbird, Mourning and Grey-hooded Sierra Finches, and the endemic Monte Yellow Finch.

We have now entered a different ecosystem, the ‘monte’ desert. This inter-montane strip of desert extends up from the northern limits of Patagonia and comprises a wooded and cactus-clad desert which is not only an ecosystem unique to Argentina but also home to several endemic bird species. One of our first goals will be the large and chunky endemic White-throated Cacholote whose massive nests in the columnar cacti have to be seen to be believed. Here, and as we venture further into the desert, numerous scrub-loving birds provide a sudden contrast to the recent forest and pre-puna birding. The spectacular, macaw-like Burrowing Parrot will become a common sight and we should also encounter Turkey Vulture, Crested and Chimango Caracaras, Aplomado Falcon, American Kestrel, Grey-hooded Parakeet, Picui Ground Dove, Guira Cuckoo, Andean Swift, White-fronted and Checkered Woodpeckers, Chaco Earthcreeper, Rusty-vented Canastero, Greater Wagtail-Tyrant, White-winged Black Tyrant, Southern Martin, Golden-billed Saltator, Blue-and-yellow Tanager, Ringed and Rufous-sided Warbling Finches, Greenish Yellow Finch and Variable Oriole.

A prime target in this area is the poorly known Sandy Gallito, a large, cryptically plumaged desert tapaculo which is endemic to Argentina. It behaves like a small roadrunner, dashing from the shade of one bush to another at amazing speed.

Eventually, we will reach the pleasant colonial town of Cafayate, in the heart of Argentina’s northwestern wine-growing region, where we will overnight.

Northern Argentina: Day 4  Leaving the vineyards behind we continue through ever-changing Andean vistas and soon enter an area of humid meadows providing good opportunities for birds such as the wonderful Spectacled Tyrant, Grass Wren and Long-tailed Meadowlark.

Our journey takes us on through moonscape valleys and spectacular sandstone badlands. This seemingly sterile habitat harbours many surprises and, together with several cultivated floodplains, provides us with excellent opportunities to find such birds as the impressive Elegant Crested Tinamou, Chilean Flamingo, Cinnamon Teal, Andean Duck, Red-gartered Coot, Baird’s Sandpiper, Spot-winged Pigeon, Glittering-bellied Emerald, the range-restricted Chaco Puffbird, Rufous Hornero, Tufted Tit-Spinetail (uncommon), Sharp-billed Canastero, the enigmatic and most peculiar White-tipped Plantcutter, White-bellied Tyrannulet, the showy Cliff Flycatcher, Tropical Kingbird, Masked Gnatcatcher, Common Diuca Finch, Pampa Finch, White-banded Mockingbird (uncommon) and Bay-winged Cowbird.

In particular, we will make a special endeavour to find the least known of Argentina’s endemics, Steinbach’s Canastero.

Eventually, we will reach the Cachi area, where we stay overnight.

Northern Argentina: Day 5  After leaving the verdant Cachi oasis behind we have a relatively short journey to the edge of the east Andean slope. First, we will ascend out of the desert strip until we reach an Andean plateau, where we will look for  Mountain Caracara, the pretty Tawny-throated Dotterel, Least Seedsnipe and Golden-spotted Ground Dove. We are also likely to encounter some Guanacos and perhaps Culpeo Fox.

Beyond here a spectacular winding and descending road, juxtaposed between 2300ft (700m) vertical cliffs and clouds floating in the valley below, provides yet more overwhelming Andean scenery as we explore a labyrinth of vegetated gullies which harbour several rare and exciting birds. The restricted-range Rock Earthcreeper should be one of the first of the Furnariidae encountered today as we make a variety of stops in search of the rare, restricted-range and extremely localized Maquis Canastero, the near-endemic Zimmer’s Tapaculo and the uncommon and localized Rufous-bellied Mountain Tanager (formerly Rufous-bellied Saltator). We should also come across Brown-capped Tit-Spinetail, Yellow-billed Tit-Tyrant, Andean Swallow and perhaps Peregrine Falcon.

After reaching the attractive provincial capital of Salta, where we stay overnight, we will make an afternoon trip in search of some localized grassland and scrubland species such as Darwin’s Nothura, the poorly known Huayco Tinamou, Black-and-chestnut Warbling Finch and the near-endemic Chaco Sparrow. Spotted Nothura is also possible, either here or elsewhere on the itinerary.

Northern Argentina: Day 6  An early departure from Salta will see us heading back to some nearby yungas to resume our cloudforest birding. Among the superb selection of birds on offer here are Scaly-headed Parrot, Green-cheeked Parakeet, White-barred Piculet, Golden-olive and Dot-fronted Woodpeckers, Narrow-billed Woodcreeper, the Andean form of the Rufous-capped Antshrike (sometimes split as Marcapata Antshrike), Slaty Elaenia, Sclater’s and Rough-legged Tyrannulets, Yellow-olive Flatbill, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Mountain Wren, Pale-legged Warbler, Ultramarine and Black-backed Grosbeaks, White-browed Brushfinch and Golden-winged Cacique.

When birding activity finally begins to die down we will continue northwards for a time, heading for Argentina’s largest alder forest which reaches an altitude of around 2000m. Here we will endeavour to seek out some more localized species such as Rothschild’s Swift (uncommon), Spot-breasted Thornbird, Plumbeous Tyrant, Rusty Flowerpiercer and Fulvous-headed Brushfinch. Other major targets in this secluded forest will be the rare and very poorly-known Red-faced Guan and the spectacular Lyre-tailed Nightjar.

Wetland areas may turn up Great Grebe, Cocoi Heron, Rosy-billed Pochard and perhaps White-cheeked Pintail.

At the end of the day, we will head for Libertador General San Martin where we shall be based for the next three nights.

Northern Argentina: Days 7-8  Calilegua National Park encompasses some 170,000 acres (70,000 hectares) of the highest forested mountain chain in Argentina. The park extends from the plains through subtropical evergreen ‘yungas’ forest to temperate mossy forest with alder and Podocarpus woodland.

Some of the special birds of the area which will be high on our list of priorities are Yungas Dove, Tucuman (or Alder) Amazon, White-throated Antpitta, Yungas Makain and the spectacular Giant Antshrike (the largest of all the antbirds). With a little luck, we will see (as well as hear) the range-restricted White-throated Quail-Dove and Yungas Pygmy Owl. After dusk, we have a good chance of finding the range-restricted Yungas (or Hoy’s) Screech Owl as well as the widespread Rufous Nightjar.

Other species we should encounter in or around Calilegua include Black Vulture, Swallow-tailed and Plumbeous Kites, Dusky-legged Guan, Grey-necked Wood Rail, Band-tailed Pigeon, Golden-collared Macaw, Mitred Parakeet, Squirrel Cuckoo, the diminutive Slender-tailed Woodstar (Argentina’s smallest bird), Sick’s Swift, Blue-crowned Trogon, Toco Toucan, Sooty-fronted, Ochre-cheeked and Stripe-crowned Spinetails, Olivaceous and Black-banded Woodcreepers, Black-capped Antwren, Highland Elaenia, Mottle-cheeked Tyrannulet, Ochre-faced Tody-Flycatcher, Cinnamon, Euler’s, Streaked, Piratic and Brown-crested Flycatchers, Smoke-coloured Pewee, White-winged and Crested Becards, Spotted Nightingale-Thrush, Glossy-black Thrush, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Crested Oropendola, Purple-throated Euphonia, Tropical Parula, Two-banded and Golden-crowned Warblers, Saffron-billed Sparrow, Orange-headed Tanager and Common Bush Tanager.

More uncommon possibilities include Planalto Hermit, Speckled Hummingbird, Blue-capped Puffleg, Amazonian Motmot, Smoky-brown Woodpecker, Streaked Xenops, the poorly-known Andean form of the Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper, Smoke-coloured and Tropical Pewees and Green-backed Becard.

There is also a chance of seeing one or two of the rarer or more secretive raptors such as Montane Solitary Eagle, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle, Black-and-chestnut Eagle, White-rumped Hawk or Barred Forest Falcon.

Northern Argentina: Day 9  Today, as we head towards the dry Chaco region and gradually leave the mountains behind, we will explore an area of upland xerophytic Chaco woodlands which will give us our first taste of Chaco birding. Here we will be concentrating on finding Red-legged Seriema and its rarer and shyer cousin, the Black-legged Seriema, but we shall also encounter some of the many other species typical of this new habitat. The enigmatic Black-legged Seriema is not uncommon here, but it is a very secretive bird, foraging through the densest bush. We may well hear its haunting raucous cries, but we will need a bit of good fortune if we are to spot one. We may also encounter Great Black Hawk or King Vulture but both are uncommon in this area.

Eventually, we will pass to the east of Salta and then head towards the town of Las Lajitas for a two nights stay.

Northern Argentina: Day 10  Incoming Atlantic rain clouds are convected straight into the Andean yungas forest, leaving the entire northwestern plain of Argentina as one of the driest areas of southern South America. This is the unique ‘dry Chaco’, a vast low-lying expanse of dense thorny woodlands with a huge diversity of cacti that extends from southern Bolivia and western Paraguay to central Argentina, and which has a very distinctive avifauna. As the sun rises the bushes become alive with finches and tyrant flycatchers, whilst the more furtive ovenbirds disclose their presence with staccato trills or ringing whistles.

High on our list of priorities will be a series of range-restricted specialities including the poorly known and striking Olive-crowned Crescentchest (now placed in its own family rather than amongst the tapaculos), the noisy Chaco Chachalaca, the extraordinary Scimitar-billed Woodcreeper, Chaco Earthcreeper, Crested Hornero, Little Thornbird, Lark-like Brushrunner, the raucous Brown Cacholote (often on its huge stick nest), Stripe-backed Antbird, the remarkable Crested Gallito (a giant tapaculo), Cinereous Tyrant, the aptly named Many-coloured Chaco Finch, Black-crested Finch (uncommon) and Black-capped Warbling Finch.

We will also endeavour to find the large and uncommon Quebracho Crested Tinamou and we will have another opportunity to track down the shy Black-legged Seriema.

Amongst the multitude of other species we could well encounter in the chaco are Tataupa and Brushland Tinamous, Buff-necked Ibis, White-tailed Kite, Roadside, Savanna and Harris’s Hawks, Picazuro Pigeon, White-tipped Dove, Blue-crowned and Monk Parakeets, Turquoise-fronted Amazon, the unobtrusive Ash-coloured Cuckoo, Dark-billed and Striped Cuckoos, Smooth-billed Ani, Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, Tropical Screech Owl, Nacunda Nighthawk, the exquisite Blue-tufted Starthroat, White, Cream-backed and Green-barred Woodpeckers, Great Rufous Woodcreeper (one of South America’s most impressive woodcreepers), Pale-breasted Spinetail, Rufous-fronted Thornbird, Great and Variable Antshrikes, Southern Beardless Tyrannulet, Small-billed Elaenia, Tawny-crowned Pygmy Tyrant, Pearly-vented Tody-Tyrant, Southern Scrub, Suiriri, Bran-coloured, Crowned Slaty and Swainson’s Flycatchers, Plain Inezia, the showy White Monjita, Cattle Tyrant, Rufous Casiornis, Creamy-bellied Thrush, Brown-chested Martin, Southern Yellowthroat, Red Pileated (or Red-crested) and Saffron Finches, Blue-black Grassquit, Ultramarine Grosbeak, Screaming Cowbird and White-browed Blackbird. Crane Hawk, Short-billed Canastero and the extraordinary Red-billed Scythebill are also possible but uncommon.

If water levels are suitable, we could find Masked Duck at one of the few wetland areas as well as Least and White-tufted Grebes and Common Gallinule.

At dusk, another spectacle takes over this thriving bird community as Little Nightjars and spectacular Scissor-tailed Nightjars take to the wing for their first hunting session of the night. At the same time, Common Potoos wail from the woodland edge and we could see Western Barbn Owl. The poorly-known, range-restricted Chaco Owl will figure high on our list of priorities.

Mammals are not conspicuous in this part of the Chaco but could well include Argentine Grey and Crab-eating Foxes and we could always come across a surprise or two.

Northern Argentina: Day 11  After some final birding in the Chaco we will drive to Salta airport and take a flight to Buenos Aires for an overnight stay.

Northern Argentina: Day 12  This morning we take a flight to the city of Posadas. After visiting a reliable site for the endangered Saffron-cowled Blackbird, we head for Carlos Pellegrini for a three nights stay at a comfortable lodge.

Soon we will be travelling through lush, pleasant countryside which becomes progressively wetter as we head southwards into the fabulous Iberá Marshes. Raptors, herons, ibises, storks and waterfowl are very much a feature of this famous wetland area and we will spend time this afternoon enjoying both its specialities and its many more widespread but often spectacular birds.

Northern Argentina: Days 13-14  The province of Corrientes, wedged between the Paraná River, Paraguay and Brazil, is host to the largest wetland in Argentina and the third largest in South America. The Iberá Marshes (Iberá meaning ‘brilliant waters’ in the indigenous Guarani tongue) are an extensive mosaic of lazy rivers, large but shallow inter-connected lake systems with floating beds of water hyacinth, reed beds, rush beds, palm groves, xerophytic scrub, savanna and gallery woodland. The whole area has limited access, its best protection, but our base lies right in the centre of this complex ecosystem which covers an area the size of Wales. Traditional cattle ranching on higher ground is the mainstay of the gauchos who live here, comparatively undisturbed by modern 21st-century life.

Iberá is the last stronghold of the exquisite Strange-tailed Tyrant, a rare flycatcher of humid savanna and one of the relatively few sites for the localized, elegant but uncommon Black-and-white Monjita. The icterid family is very well represented here and its members are among the most obvious inhabitants of the wetlands. Pride of place must go to the striking Scarlet-headed Blackbird, while Unicoloured, Yellow-winged and Chestnut-capped Blackbirds and Brown-and-yellow and Yellow-rumped Marshbirds complete the cast of new species.

Another highly successful group of Iberá’s inhabitants are the Sporophila seedeaters, amongst which we can hope for Rusty-collared, Double-collared, Tawny-bellied, Dark-throated and the rarer Marsh, Rufous-rumped and Chestnut Seedeaters. Providing the rains have been good we could even see all of these species, but if dry conditions prevail the number and variety of seedeaters are reduced. An additional rare seedeater of the area is the ‘Ibera’ Seedeater, a form not yet recognized by the IOC but treated as a full species by other authorities.

Some parts of the marsh are alive with Limpkins and Snail Kites due to the abundance of apple snails, whilst Giant Wood-Rails strut across the roads and often feed in the open, unlike their secretive relatives. Firewood-gatherers, Chotoy Spinetails and Greater Thornbirds construct their unlikely nests in isolated clumps of trees, whilst in grazed areas, we will check for Correndera and Yellowish Pipits. We will also make a concerted effort to find the rare and endangered Yellow Cardinal.

Waterbirds are everywhere and are likely to include the huge, lumbering Southern Screamer, Anhinga, Rufescent Tiger Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Striated and Whistling Herons, Plumbeous, Bare-faced and White-faced Ibises, Roseate Spoonbill, Wood and Maguari Storks, White-faced, Black-bellied and Fulvous Whistling Ducks, Comb Duck, Muscovy and Brazilian Ducks, Rufous-sided Crake, Purple Gallinule, Wattled Jacana, Collared Plover, South American Snipe, the huge Ringed Kingfisher and Amazon and Green Kingfishers. If we are in luck we will encounter one or more uncommonly observed species such as the stately Jabiru, the pretty little Ringed Teal, the shy Ash-throated Crake, Upland Sandpiper or Large-billed Tern.

Raptors are a prominent feature of Iberá and, apart from the many Snail Kites, species which we may well see include Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture,  Long-winged and Cinereous Harriers, and Yellow-headed Caracara.

Other new birds which we should find here include the stately Greater Rhea, Red-winged Tinamou, Ruddy Ground Dove, Greater Ani, Gilded Sapphire, Campo Flicker, Little Woodpecker (uncommon), Yellow-chinned Spinetail, Greater Thornbird, Greenish and Large Elaenias, Sooty Tyrannulet, Crested and sometimes Warbling Doraditos, Vermilion and Boat-billed Flycatchers, Grey Monjita, Black-backed Water Tyrant (uncommon), White-headed Marsh Tyrant, Yellow-browed Tyrant, Chalk-browed Mockingbird, Sand Martin (or Bank Swallow), White-rumped, Southern Rough-winged, Barn and American Cliff Swallows, Grey-breasted Martin, Black-capped Donacobius, White-rimmed Warbler, Greyish and Green-winged Saltators, Red-crested and Yellow-billed Cardinals, Grassland Sparrow, Long-tailed Reed Finch, Grassland Yellow Finch, Wedge-tailed Grass Finch (uncommon), Lesser Grass Finches and Solitary Cacique.

Likely mammals include Marsh Deer, Grey Brocket (Deer), Capybara and the rather endearing Plains Viscacha.

Northern Argentina: Day 15  After spending the morning in the Iberá Marshes we return to Posadas for an overnight stay.

A highlight this evening will be watching the strange, range-restricted Sickle-winged Nightjar.

Northern Argentina: Day 16  Our tour ends this morning at Posadas airport.

(If you would like us to provide a flight ticket from Posadas to Buenos Aires, we will be pleased to do so on request even if you are arranging your own international flight tickets.)