Brazil

The Cerrado

Not far from the Pantanal, beyond Cuiaba to the north, the road climbs up a plateau that reaches about 800 m (2600 ft). Everything changes as you arrive to the “Cerrado”. A huge area of Central Brazil is covered in it, with grasslands, light woodlands and forests, and is situated in an extensive plateau: The “Planalto”. The edges of the escarpments at the Chapada dos Guimaraes provide one of the most amazing scenery shows. Not only the wide gorge and the red sandstone, but also the 86 m (282 ft) waterfall, and the Red-and green Macaws help make this a really amazing spot. Other great birds are Olive Crescent-chest, Blue Finch, Fiery-capped Manakin, White-rumped and White-banded Tanagers. The local town is just over an hour drive from Cuiaba, so it is almost mandatory to visit the Chapada during a trip to the Pantanal. There are other great spots to visit within the huge area of the cerrados, which also provide a variety of sights and landscapes.

This part of region can be accessed from Belo Horizonte. A short drive to the Serra do Cipo will get you to nice cerrado habitat, and further up the hills there are rocky fields, with endemics such as Hyacinth Visorbearer, Cipo Canastero, Buff-throated Serra-Finch and others. A different way from Belo Horizonte is another “serra” location, the Serra da Canastra National Park. Besides the beautiful landscape and a huge waterfall, it is the best known site to see the Critically Endangered Brazilian Merganser. It really produces a thrill to find it in the crystal clear streams. Other interesting species here are Stripe-breasted Starthroat, Brasilia Tapaculo, Sharp-tailed Grass-tyrant, and Ochre-breasted Pipit. Manned Wolf, Giant Anteater, and even Giant Armadillo can be found driving up and down the roads up in the serras. As usual in most of Brazil, the birding locations in this region are provided with good quality accommodation and infrastructure, and are well located in close proximity to the natural areas.