Upper Rio Napo

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Overview

Possibly the most accessible (at least from Quito) region offering access to eastern (Amazonian) tropical lowlands. Largest populated point of reference is Tena, at about 500 meters in elevation. Some visitor accommodations are found along the Rio Napo at Misahualli, and a few "jungle lodges" can be found a short distance downriver.

The best known Upper Rio Napo birding site is probably Jatun Sacha Biological Station, owned and operated by Fundacion Jatun Sacha. According to Ridgely & greenfield (2001) it 'encompasses several thousand hectares of primary terra firme forest, with smaller areas of secondary woodland and floodplain habitat". The reserve is positioned between the Rio Napo and the smaller Rio Arajuno, with trails reaching into forested habitats. The adjacent privately-owned Arajuno Jungle Lodge also offers a trail system that connects to that of Jatun Sacha.

Birds

Notable Species

A Jatun Sacha checklist (most recently updated 2008) compiled by Bonnie Bochan lists 563 species seen at or near the reserve, though the only status indicator included is for very rare species and for those species with no recent records. Of the 563 species listed, 459 are not coded as rare or recently undocumented. Notably among those are eight tinamou species, Masked Duck, Cocoi & striated Herons, Gray-headed & Slender-billed Kites, Tiny & Slate-colored Hawks, Black-faced Hawk, four Forest-Falcons, Nocturnal & Salvin's Curassows, Marbled Wood-Quail, Sunbittern, Sungrebe, Yellow-billed Tern, Scaled Pigeon, Sapphire Quail-Dove, Blue-and-yellow Macaw, Chestnut-fronted Macaw, Red-bellied Macaw, Orange-cheeked Parrot, Hoatzin, Dark-billed & Black-bellied Cuckoos, Little Cuckoo, Pheasant Cuckoo, Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo, Black-banded Owl, Oilbird, Long-tailed Potoo, Ocellated Poorwill, Blackish Nightjar, Pale-tailed Barbthroat, Black-throated Hermit, Buff-tailed Sicklebill, Black-bellied Thorntail, Spangled Coquette, Black-chinned Sapphire, Fiery Topaz, Pavonine Quetzal, Blue-crowned & Black-throated Trogons, Broad-billed Motmot, four jacamars, Chestnut-capped & Collared Puffbirds, White-chested Puffbird, Lanceolated Monklet, Brown Nunlet, Yellow-billed Nunbird, Lemon-throated Barbet, Rufous-breasted Piculet, Red-necked Woodpecker, White-bellied Spinetail, Parker's & Speckled Spinetails, Point-tailed Palmcreeper, Eastern [Striped] Woodhaunter, Buff-throated Foliagegleaner, Brown-rumped & chestnut-crowned Foliagegleaners, Long-tailed Woodcreeper, Ocellated Woodcreeper, Red-billed Scythebill, ten antshrikes, ten antwrens, Blackish Antbird. Black Antbird, White-browed Antbird, Black Bushbird, Reddish-winged Bare-eye, Striated Antthrush, Scaled Antpitta, White-lored & Thrushlike Antpittas, Ash-throated Gnateater, Ringed Antpipit, Sepia-capped Flycatcher, White-eyed Tody-Tyrant, Black-and-white Tody-Flycatcher, Golden-winged & Rustry-fronted Tody-Flycatchers, Brownish Twistwing, Fuscuous Flycatcher, Sulphury Flycatcher, Green Manakin, Dusky-capped & Tawny-crowned Greenlets, Wing-banded Wren, Fulvous Shrike-Tanager, Slate-colored Grosbeak, Black-and-white Seedeater, Large-billed Seed-Finch, Black-billed Seed-Finch, four oropendolas, Ecuadorian Cacique

Rarities

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Check-list

Birds you can see here include:

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Other Wildlife

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Site Information

History and Use

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Areas of Interest

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Access and Facilities

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Contact Details

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External Links

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