Caldas Society of Ornithology (SCO)
Sociedad Caldense de Ornitología or the Caldas Society of Ornithology was the second ornithological organization to be legally incorporated in Colombia, in 1984. It is a non-governmental organization of environmental nature that works for the conservation, defense and study of birds and their habitats. The general goal of the SCO is to ensure the preservation and care of the environment in the department of Caldas, considering that one can get enjoyment from simply observing nature. The Torrent Duck (Merganetta armata) was chosen as the society’s flagship bird and logo. In honor of the symbolic bird, the society created an ornithological newsletter called Merganetta.
‘Vamos todos a pajarear’
This is the initiative of doing birdwatching trips open to all public. Since 2012, bird lovers and curious people gather the first Saturday of every month at 7 am in one of the eco-parks of Manizales to go birding! These trips are specially aimed at people who have never done birdwatching but are interested in knowing the birds of the region.“Esperando Gavilanes’
It is a project that seeks to raise interest about the migratory phenomenon of the Broad-winged hawk (Buteo platypterus) and the Swainson’s hawk (Buteo swainsoni) that went unnoticed in the region, specially in Manizales. Since these birds migrate to South America to spend winter, they can be observed in October flying over Manizales and returning to the north during the first months of the year. To create expectations, the organization launches a campaign with newsletters, press releases, posters, and conferences aimed at all citizens.Bird Censuses
The SCO replicates international initiatives such as the Christmas Census and the Neotropical Waterbird Census. The Christmas Census was the adaptation of an ancient North American tradition, which was about to go hunting as many birds as possibly during Christmas time, in which people go out to count as many birds as possible. In Colombia, this activity is held from December 14 to January 5. The Neotropical Waterbird Census is a monitoring program based on waterbird counts made twice a year, in February and July throughout the country.Antioquia Society of Ornithology (SAO)
The Antioquia Society of Ornithology was founded the 24th of November of 1984, in Medellin. SAO is a non-profit organization engaged in promoting research, knowledge, dissemination and conservation of the birds of Colombia. These objectives are met through 4 different approaches:1. Dissemination
SAO seeks to strengthen its positioning in spaces where its activities, publications, products and projects are showcased, as well as to motivate more people to devote their free time to the enjoyment of birds in freedom.2. Research
Production of ornithological knowledge and sustainable projects.3. Training
Since birdwatching requires precise identification skills with the help of field guides, pictures, vocalizations and distribution patterns, SAO aims to train new generations of birders, bird guides and qualified scientists.4. Conservation
By having the Blue-billed Curassow (Crax alberti), a Colombian endemic endangered species, as the society’s flagship bird, SAO encourages the creation of knowledge and actions for bird and habitat conservation in the country.
Marco Antonio Serna Grant Fund
One of the highlights of this birding association is the study grants they offer to students interested in doing research or their degree thesis related to birds. This project is called the Marco Antonio Serna Grant Fund and has benefited 10 students with the necessary economic resources for them to carry their research out, which then will be published in the SAO newsletter or presented to the society’s members, friends and allied organizations at a lecture. In addition, there is SAO Kids, a project that aims to draw the attention of children to the preservation of birds, and currently 3 birdwatching clubs have been established in different schools.Bogota Association of Ornithology (ABO)
17 people, including ornithologists and birdwatchers, gathered together in 1989 to found a group of bird enthusiasts. Two years later, the bylaws of the group were set so that it could be legally incorporated before the Chamber of Commerce in 1994. Today, the Bogota Association of Ornithology is a non-profit organization that seeks the conservation and the study of birds and their habitats in Bogota and the department of Cundinamarca, by the means of the promotion of knowledge and enjoyment of wild birds in their freedom.
Conservation Commitment
ABO has led several ornithological initiatives and projects focused on natural, semi-natural and urban ecosystems, where data about bird communities has been collected. This work has also helped conservation processes of various places in the city such as La Conejera and Córdoba wetlands, the Arzobispo canal, among others. ABO is the responsible for crucial events related with environmental education and conservation awareness such as the Cundinamarca Bird Festival 2019.Monthly birdwatching trips
The activities this association develops include lectures, workshops, courses, and monthly birdwatching trips. These trips are done in urban or rural spaces and have a low fee for participants, although members get a discount.Lecturers
The last Wednesday of every month, in the Alexis Omaña Auditorium at the National University of Colombia, is when the lectures are offered to ornithologists, birdwatchers, and any enthusiast willing to learn more about birds.Publications
Also, ABO produces pedagogical and didactic material specially designed to promote the appreciation of birds and respect for nature. Its journal is called El Clarinero and contains scientific knowledge and news, for example the celebration of the organization’s first 25 years. Remember that there is no need to be an experienced ornithologist or a scientist to make part of the Bogota Association of Ornithology, just wanting to learn about such an amazing activity as birdwatching is!Meta Avitourism Association (Avesmeta)
This association emerges as a non-profit organization, with a tourism project that aims to be recognized locally, regionally and nationally for generating processes of research, study and conservation of birds in the Department of Meta and the region of Orinoco. AvesMeta seeks to guide educational processes that promote in adults, children and adolescents the commitment to bird watching. The goal is to achieve a true and tangible environmental culture from bird watching and avitourism in the department of Meta.
Logo
The birds in the logo represent the different groups of people who participate in the association: Owl The biologists, engineers and guides who have acquired the knowledge of the avifauna of the department of Meta. They transmit this knowledge to the people who are entering the world of bird watching. Antpitta The teachers are the great leaders who, with their patience and enthusiasm, guide their students to become great professionals in the future. Day by day they dedicate a great part of their time to teaching and also to the love of nature, especially of birds. Tanager Businessmen and hoteliers who offer their accommodation services to all bird lovers. They strive to offer and provide excellent services, taking into account the needs of the birders. Heron Students and amateur birders who make an effort every day to recognize the birds in their environment. They have the support of their teachers and experts who strive to teach them the importance of fauna, especially birds, which are part of natural ecosystems.Colombian Association of Ornithology (ACO)
October 2001, the XIV National Meeting of Ornithologists was being held in Leticia, Amazonas. Some of the attendees realized that there was an increasing number of ornithological papers presented each year at national meetings, and that these were not being published nor appropriately disseminated. That is how the idea of a national association of ornithology came about. ACO was founded in 2002 by 106 founding members seeking to boost the scientific research and the conservation of Colombia’s birds through the publication of a journal called ‘Ornitología Colombiana’. A group of volunteers have worked since for the sake of the organization’s mission: “to promote the development of ornithology in Colombia through the creation and dissemination of scientific knowledge on birds in pursuit of their conservation”.
Activities
Membership is open to anyone interested in Colombian birds and their conservation, all one has to do is fill an application form and pay an annual fee. Being an active member has great advantages, such as participating in the activities of the organization, obtaining professional recognition, publishing own research on the journal for free, getting discounts on the registration to ornithology congresses and other events, as well as bibliographic material, and accessing to exclusive newsletters and academic or job opportunities.Colombian National Birdwatchers Network (RNOA)
Passions go beyond regions. For this reason, the Colombian National Birdwatchers Network exists. The Red Nacional de Observadores de Aves, or RNOA, aims to promote and facilitate cooperation and exchange of information between ornithological organizations, similar entities and birdwatchers in Colombia, in order to strengthen knowledge about birds in Colombia and their conservation. RNOA seeks to be a means by which joint actions for studying, monitoring and preserving national birdlife and its habitats are undertaken. Its work is framed within the National Strategy for the Conservation of the Birds of Colombia.
The National Ornithology Meeting, ENO
RNOA is the organizer of the National Ornithology Meeting or Encuentro Nacional de Ornitología -ENO-. (know more at Colombia Bird Fairs). The network uses a Facebook page to allow members to share information and interact with everyone else. This is a useful tool in modern times to disseminate knowledge easily and with a great reach, as well as promoting teamwork among all birdwatchers in the country. These were the main ornithology associations in Colombia, but you can find many others, for example university birding groups. We hope that soon there will be birding associations in every region of the country!References
- ABO
- ACO
- Developing a Niche Tourism Market Database for the Caribbean
- SAO
- SCO
- RNOA
- SIB Colombia
- Humboldt Institute Colombia
2026 update: ACO (Asociación Colombiana de Ornitología, founded 1988) national umbrella + SAO Medellín + ABO Bogotá + Fundación ProAves (largest bird NGO, 27+ reserves, ~42,000 acres) + Fundación Humedales Bogotá + Fundación Yubarta (whales, Bahía Málaga) + Fundación Omacha (river dolphins)
The 2026 institutional map of Colombian ornithology. The national umbrella is the Asociación Colombiana de Ornitología (ACO) — founded in 1988 and now covering academic ornithology, citizen science and conservation policy nationwide. The primary regional associations are the Sociedad Antioqueña de Ornitología (SAO) in Medellín and the Asociación Bogotana de Ornitología (ABO) in Bogotá — both organise regular field trips, publications and community-science initiatives for their departments. The largest ornithology-focused NGO is Fundación ProAves, which operates 27+ private bird reserves totalling ~42,000 acres and protects an estimated 68% of Colombia’s threatened bird species — the 2026 headline being the declaration of ProAves’ Las Tángaras Reserve as a Regional Natural Park by CODECHOCÓ on 23 June 2026, the first strict terrestrial protection in Chocó in 37 years.
The specialist Colombian conservation organisations you’ll interact with as a birder. Fundación Humedales Bogotá is the primary reference for the country’s Ramsar-designated urban wetland complex (Site 2404, designated 6 August 2018, 667.38 ha across 11 wetlands, 196 species) — the anchor for finding endemics like Bogotá Rail and Apolinar’s Wren. Fundación Yubarta — Colombia’s oldest humpback-whale research institution — operates in PNN Uramba Bahía Málaga (Valle del Cauca) during the July-October humpback season. Fundación Omacha (est. 1993) is Colombia’s flagship river-dolphin conservation NGO, working on Amazon (Inia geoffrensis) and Orinoco (Reserva Natural Bojonawi, Puerto Carreño) populations. And the Red Nacional de Observadores de Aves (RNOA) coordinates Colombia’s citizen-science bird-observation network that feeds SiB Colombia data. Every serious 2026 birding trip should engage with at least two of these organisations — either through reserve visits or through the operator relationships they underpin.
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.