While in the world there are more or less 10,000 species of birds, Colombia has around 2000! I know, it is a huge number. But don’t worry, here I will tell you which birds to start with if you are coming for the first time to Colombia to watch birds.
Also, this guide may help you if you don’t have much experience with birding, or if you don’t feel like traveling to difficult or remote destinations. Moreover, if you are not sure about your birding style, visit our entry What Kind of Birder You Think You Are – Birding Colombia, and find out the best birding trip options for you.
The Beginners Route to the Top 9 Birds of Colombia
You will see these spectacular birds in places that are equally interesting, varied and fun. Besides, with the excuse of knowing these birds, you will be visiting half of the country, from the Caribbean to the Andes.
First Stop: The Caribbean
Start your trip visiting La Guajira and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Find out more information about birding in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in our entry Colombia’s Prime Birding Destination: Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
Regarding La Guajira and the Caribbean Dry Forest birding destinations, please visit our entry Discover the Caribbean Dry Forest Birding Trail of Colombia.
Getting Started with Colombian Birds
Colombia’s bird diversity can feel overwhelming for newcomers — over 1,966 species is a lot to contemplate. The good news is that many of Colombia’s most spectacular birds are also among its most visible and easy to identify. Starting with these recognizable species builds confidence and transforms every outdoor moment into a potential discovery.
Birds You Will See Everywhere
Great Kiskadees — bold yellow-bellied flycatchers — announce themselves loudly in every Colombian city and town. Tropical Kingbirds perch on wires and fences across the lowlands. Saffron Finches and Blue-gray Tanagers brighten gardens and parks. These common species are your entry point — once you can identify them, you will start noticing the less obvious birds around them.
Spectacular Species for Beginners
Toucans, with their unmistakable oversized bills, are found in forests across the country. Hummingbirds visit feeders at many lodges and even backyard gardens. Macaws and parrots fly in noisy, colorful pairs over forest canopy. Vultures soar on thermals above every landscape, easy to spot and identify by their flight silhouettes.
Essential Equipment
Start with a decent pair of binoculars — they transform birding from squinting at distant shapes to detailed, colorful encounters. Our guide to birding equipment covers options at every budget. A field guide helps with identification, though many beginners now use apps like Merlin Bird ID for instant AI-powered identification from photos or sound recordings.
Where to Start
Urban birding spots are ideal for beginners — no hiking, easy access, and surprisingly good species diversity. Bogotá’s wetlands alone host over 200 species. Once comfortable with basics, explore birding lodges where expert guides identify species by call and help you build skills rapidly.
Learn the birder lingo to communicate effectively in the field, and consider joining bird fairs where the Colombian birding community welcomes newcomers warmly.
2026 update: Colombia hosts ~1,954 bird species = the highest bird-diversity total in the world + ~20% of the world’s total bird species + ~82-85 endemic species per SACC classification + Global Big Day 2025 (10 May 2025) Colombia logged 1,563 species = again the leading country + ~200 migratory species + 155 threatened species per current classification + 63 documented country-endemic species (traditional count widely cited pre-taxonomic revisions)
The 2026 macro-scale numbers for Colombian birding. Colombia is the world’s highest-diversity country for birds, with ~1,954 species documented — approximately 20% of the world’s total bird species in a single country. The South American Classification Committee (SACC) currently classifies Colombia with 1,914 confirmed species and 85 endemics; Wikipedia’s synthesis lists ~83 endemics, and the traditional country-guide figure of 63 country-endemic species is still widely cited but predates the last decade of Clements / IOC splits. The country also hosts approximately 200 migratory species and 155 threatened species per current IUCN / MinAmbiente listings. For the 2025 Global Big Day (10 May 2025), Colombia recorded 1,563 species in a single 24-hour census — again the world-leading total, continuing the country’s dominance of the event since 2018.
The 2026 iconic beginner-target species and where to see them. Colombia’s iconic entry-level target list for beginners tracks well-known and reliably observable species: Andean Cock-of-the-Rock (Rupicola peruvianus) at Jardín, Antioquia (public lek); Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock (Rupicola rupicola) in Vaupés / Guainía / lower Vichada; Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus) at PNN Los Nevados edge and El Cocuy; Multicolored Tanager (Chlorochrysa nitidissima, endemic) at Reserva El Silencio and Cerro El Ingles (Chocó); Rainbow-bearded Thornbill and other high-Andean hummingbirds at Reserva Río Blanco; Sword-billed Hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera) at Cocora / high-elevation feeders; Golden-headed Manakin at Piedemonte Llanero lodges; and the Santa Marta endemics complex (Santa Marta Screech-Owl, Santa Marta Antpitta, Santa Marta Sabrewing, Blossomcrown) at ProAves El Dorado Reserve. For 2026, the recommended digital toolkit is Merlin Bird ID (Cornell Lab, free) with the offline Colombia pack + eBird for checklist submission — Sound ID v46 (October 2025) added 342 Neotropical species and now covers 1,000+ species globally. Sources: Colombia Country Brand — 1,900+ birds; Colombia leads Global Big Day 2025.
Sara Colmenares holds a Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) in Ecology from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and a Master’s degree in Botany from the same institution. Her doctoral research focused on palm ecology in the Atlantic Forest, supported by the Rufford Foundation conservation grant.
A published researcher in the Brazilian Journal of Plant Physiology and a member of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC), Sara has presented her work at international conferences across Latin America and beyond. She was awarded the COLCIENCIAS “Virginia Gutiérrez de Pineda” fellowship, one of Colombia’s most competitive academic distinctions for young researchers.
Sara founded the Sula nature tourism brand in 2018, applying her scientific expertise to develop birding and wildlife experiences across Colombia’s six natural regions. Her fieldwork took her from the cloud forests of the Andes to the Amazon basin, the Pacific coast, and the plains of the Orinoquía. She combined deep ecological knowledge with firsthand experience to create content that is both scientifically accurate and practically useful for nature travelers.
She holds a B.Sc. in Biology from the National University of Colombia, where she also taught plant ecophysiology. She speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and English.