In Search of Rare Birds and Glory in Colombia

How an international birdwatching competition draws attention to the country’s at-risk natural bounty.
BY LUCY SHERRIFF MAY 11, 2018

Three hefty duffel bags packed with boots, waterproof clothing, and binoculars are slung into the back of a 4x4. Although it’s a hot, humid day in Valledupar, a small city in the Cesar municipality of northeastern Colombia, the temperature can drop to 30 degrees Fahrenheit in the mountains.

The group, consisting of two Colombians and an American, is headed for Serranía del Perijá, the mountain range that looms over the city, and separates the country from Venezuela. They’re making the nearly three-hour pilgrimage in preparation for the following day: May 5, 2018, or Global Big Day, the Olympics of birdwatching.

The Serranía del Perijá is home to three species of birds that do not live anywhere else in the world: the Perijá metaltail, Perijá thistletail, and the Perijá tapaculo. But it’s only recently that birders have been able to access the mountain range, a side effect of Colombia’s 2016 peace deal, which was signed between the Colombian government and the guerrilla group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), following a 50-year-long conflict.

But these previously inaccessible outlying regions now face an uncertain future. In 2016, as The Guardian reports, deforestation increased by 44 percent, as illegal logging and mining took their toll. The publication also notes that farmers, known as campesinos, were once required by the FARC to keep 20 percent of their land forested, but no longer abide by that policy. Nearly 98 percent of Colombia’s tropical mountain forests have been destroyed, meaning all three of the aforementioned birds are considered endangered species, making them even harder to spot.

More:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/colombia-wins-international-birding-competition-2018