“Remote Amazon” birds and wildlife cruise interim report

The joint WildWings/Limosa birds and wildlife cruise to the Brazilian Amazon concluded a few days ago and the trip was a spectacular success with an impressive selection of species being seen.

The tour started with a short extension to a simple but comfortable lodge not far from the town of Presidente Figueiredo where the main goal was to visit a Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock lek.  With at least half a dozen males enjoyed at a matter of metres range, this objective was certainly achieved and the added bonus of Capuchinbird, Spangled Cotinga and Crimson Topaz meant the extension was an unqualified success.

Our time aboard Iracema (our specially chartered and comfortable river boat) also went very well with most of the holiday spent on the Rio Negro and some of its tributaries including the Jau and Branco rivers with a great range of birds being seen. These included Hoatzin, Spectacled Owl, Agami Heron, Sunbittern, Sungrebe, Blue-and-yellow Macaw, Orange-cheeked and Black-headed Parrots, Wire-tailed Manakin and Amazonian Umbrellabird.

We also spent a percentage of our time looking for some of the range and habitat-restricted species which can be found in this region and those seen included Cherrie’s and Klages’s Antwrens.

During our time on the Branco River, we made a special effort to look for Rio Branco Antbird, a species we found along the lower reaches of this river in 2024.  Until recently, this bird was treated as ‘critically endangered’ by Birdlife International, however, it has now been downgraded due to it having a much larger range than previously believed.

The trip was, however, not just about birds and we also saw an impressive range of mammals.  Over a dozen species of monkeys were found (extension plus the main tour), as well as some nice views of Giant Otter, both Linnaeus’s Two-toed and Brown-throated Three-toed Sloths, plus almost daily encounters with both species of river dolphin.

Arguably the primate highlight was the Spix’s Night Monkeys we saw at the tree where they sleep, but we also enjoyed good views of Golden-faced and Guianan Bearded Sakis, Humboldt’s, Golden-backed and Guianan Squirrel Monkeys, Pied and Midas Tamarins and Brown and Humboldt’s White-faced Capuchins.

The full trip report and systematic list will be published shortly and for details of the 2027 departure, please click here.