Brazil is one of the world's foremost yet under-rated birding destinations. Within this enormous country, there is no better place to start birding than in the amazing and highly threatened Atlantic Forests, located close to two internationally accessible major urban centres, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Found mostly within Brazil and marginally into Argentina and Paraguay, the Atlantic Forest biome is home to 199 bird species found nowhere else on earth. Guapi Assu Bird Lodge is located within the central core of this biome and more Atlantic forest endemics are available around here than anywhere else in the world. Magnificent coastlines and adjacent mountainous escarpments hide beautiful fragments of epiphyte-laden forests where many of the dazzling cast of threatened and exquisite endemics dwell.

The immaculate Black Jacobin (photo: T. Leventis)

These include the almost extinct Red-billed Curassow, parties of Three-toed Jacamars, both the Serra Antwren and the recently re-discovered Black-hooded Antwren, a miniscule cotinga-the Buff-throated Purpletuft-and the striking Black-and-Gold Cotinga. To add to the allure, between 1990 and 2000 five bird species new to science were described from this habitat.

However, it is not just the rare birds that make the Atlantic Forests special; they are a treasure trove of biodiversity. The Atlantic Lowland Forests Endemic Bird Area (075) alone provides habitat for 10 unique bird genera and many other endemic vertebrates, invertebrates and plants. The Atlantic Forests are a high priority destination for any world birder, and with increasing threats to many of the unique habitats, there is a pressing need to focus the world's attention on this region before it is too late. Supporting 15% of all the threatened birds in the Americas, visiting the region adds significant weight to conservation efforts now underway.

The Atlantic Forests are also a gateway to a variety of Brazil's other unique and threatened ecosystems. From here it is possible to venture into the highly threatened habitats of the Caatinga, the Atlantic slope of Alagoas, the deciduous forests of Bahia and Minas Gerais as well as the great wilderness areas of the Cerrado and Pantanal.

Birding opportunities in the Atlantic Forest are almost endless. Tropical Birding can address the needs of all birders interested in the region. With guides based near Rio de Janeiro from March 2005, Tropical Birding has staked out sites for those hard-to-find species, making trips to the Atlantic Forests and elsewhere in Brazil "hassle-free".

For information about birding in one of the best regions in the Neotropics, contact us at info@tropicalbirding.com, or go to the Tropical Birding website www.tropicalbirding.com