The Mid-Magdalena Valley is a biogeographical area of very high interest. Not only does it mark a species limit border for mainly Central American species, but it is also itself an endemic region, too! Its avifauna can be observed, maybe easiest, at the well-established Rio Claro Reserve. Easily accessed from both Bogotá and Medellín, this reserve merits multiple-day visits from birders.
If I need to convince you more there are some beautiful bathing spots along the Rio Claro and the scenery of the Canyon is very picturesque. But you won’t be the only person finding that: Be aware that the reserve gets very crowded on weekends and national holidays. Avoid those periods for birding. Take my word!
Early mornings are a must in Rio Claro
And birding starts right away from the entrance on an unpaved road leading to the main accommodations & restaurants within the reserve. Early mornings are a must, as the forests get very quiet in the afternoon.
I stayed in the last accommodation coming from the entrance, which is the quietest and the top story rooms allow a view into the higher trees often yielding good species. I recommend this to all visiting birders. They are only a 5 minutes’ walk away from the restaurant (through a Magdalena Antbird territory) and a short walk from the Oilbird Cave away.
Morning hours found me birding along the above-mentioned entrance road. Dusky-faced Tanagers are among the first songsters. Little Tinamou whistles its beautiful tremolo song from the lush roadside forest. Both Citron-throated & Yellow-throated Toucans “croak”, respectively “yelp” from high exposed perches. Pacific Antwren, Chestnut-backed & White-bellied Antbird join the activity.
Anywhere along the road can be good for mixed flocks. The very localized, endemic Antioquia Bristle-Tyrant accompanies them. On my first two days, I had only brief, unsatisfying views of a couple of these birds, but I had another ace upon my sleeve for this one… I found a Cecropia with fruits and this was frequented by several White-mantled Barbets, a Colombian endemic, Orange-fronted Orioles, and several Tanager species.
Close to the Mulata Creek, I heard the song of Grey-cheeked Nunlet. It took me only a few minutes to locate this small Puffbird. Not too shabby a start. Activity dwindled a bit after that, but common species like Colombian Chachalaca, Crimson-crested Woodpecker, Blue-crowned Manakin, Band-backed Wren & Buff-rumped Warblers kept me entertained.
A highly refreshing and much-needed dip into beautiful Rio Claro & the following siesta was as much appreciated as needed.
The Oilbirds leaving the Cave at dusk were the roundup of a highly rewarding day. But the best has yet come…
The Mulata Creek Trail
The following 2 days I spent on the totally quiet (visitor wise) Mulata Creek Trail. This trail leads to a secluded Finca away from the main visitor area. The first couple hundred meters go through cleared areas. I found Yellow-olive Flycatcher and One-colored Becard.
A little further along the same trail, I found one of my main quarries, the Antioquia Bristle-Tyrant. A pair was frequently vocalizing, allowing me to do some video grabs, and sound recordings you can check by clicking here.
Where the trail crosses the Creek, I located more Magdalena– & Bicolored Antbirds. The trail now climbs steeply and reaches more fertile birding grounds. I first heard, soon saw a group of the endemic Sooty Ant-Tanager, another species easily recognized by its interesting voice.
A lek of Golden-headed Manakins was active, too. Black-crowned Antshrike, Dusky Antbird, Slate-headed Tody-Flycatcher and Trilling Gnatwren, followed.
Where the trail reaches its highest point, you have a beautiful vista over the area. I took a little break from my birding/sound recording session, taking it all in.
The break was not for long, though… A pair of Red-rumped Woodpecker allowed a close approach. But this Woodpecker only ranked 2nd as I located a pair of the endemic Beautiful Woodpecker calling from low down in the Valley. After a little bit of playback, the birds landed in a Cecropia tree right in front of me, allowing me to record its rarely recorded voice, as the very few recordings on Xeno–Canto demonstrates!
Steady going, more birds showed. White-mantled Barbets displayed right above my head and an obliging Red-billed Scythebill was supporting the cast.
Slowly making my way back to the main road, I realized that a couple of days more in this reserve would be needed in order to find many of the more difficult species of the area! There such goodies as Yellow-headed Manakin lurking out there somewhere…
But I had to keep this for next time, just including a little night birding on my last night, scoring with Spectacled Owl.
2026 update: km 152 access + marble canyon + Cueva de los Guácharos Oilbirds + White-mantled Barbet endemic
The 2026 access anchors for Río Claro. The reserve entrance sits at km 152 on the Autopista Medellín-Bogotá — roughly one-third of the way from Medellín (152 km / ~3-3.5 hours) to Bogotá (264 km / 5-6 hours depending on Autopista traffic). What distinguishes Río Claro from every other Colombian reserve is its Devonian sedimentary marble canyon — the river flows through white marble bedrock with caves, stalactites and stalagmites forming the reserve’s signature geological feature. The most visited cave, Cueva de los Guácharos, houses a colony of Oilbirds (Steatornis caripensis) — Near Threatened nocturnal cave-nesting frugivores whose regional range covers Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad, Ecuador, Peru and Guyana (they are not Colombian endemics as sometimes assumed).
The species that makes Río Claro a mandatory stop for serious Colombian birders is the White-mantled Barbet (Capito hypoleucus) — a Colombian endemic listed IUCN Endangered, restricted to the Middle Magdalena Valley (Bolívar to Antioquia) at 200-1,800 metres. Río Claro is one of the most accessible sites in Colombia for this species. The reserve documents over 350 recorded bird species across the transition from lowland tropical forest to the canyon walls; the local avifauna is complemented by butterflies and reptiles typical of the Middle Magdalena. Accommodation at El Refugio Ecolodge includes cabañas de río (open-side river cabins) and multi-day packages that bundle meals and guided activities. The activity roster is well established: cave walking, river rafting, tubing, via ferrata, zip-lining, hiking, swimming. Best window: December-February (drier river, safer trails); rain seasons April-May and September-November produce dramatic full-canyon flow but reduce cave access.
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.