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Colombia Birding Tour: Crestless Curassow Quest

15 - 01 - 2018

Quest for the Curassow: A Target-Driven Triumph in Colombia’s Eastern Llanos

Trip Report: Private Eastern Llanos Tour at Hato La Aurora (January 2018) with Hans Jornvall

 Our Birding Tours Colombia itineraries are designed to maximize field time, targeting the most sought-after endemics and regional specialties. Whether you join a scheduled departure or one of our custom Colombia birding trips, our expert birding guides Colombia use their deep local knowledge to connect you with the birds you’ve traveled to see. This report showcases the results of that dedication.

The Client’s Quest

 

This special, short trip was a private birding tour designed for Hans Jornvall. Hans, an exceptionally experienced birder with over 9,200 species on his life list, had traveled with us before. He had already seen nearly every bird at Hato La Aurora, but two species had consistently eluded him. This custom Colombia birding trip had a clear, focused mission: to find his two remaining targets, the Crestless Curassow and the Masked Cardinal.

 

A Birder’s Paradise: Hato La Aurora

Hato La Aurora is a paradise for birdwatching in Colombia, a vast reserve in the Eastern Llanos harboring a huge collection of species. Some are restricted to the Orinoco region, such as the Pale-headed Jacamar, Orinoco Goose, Purple-throated Euphonia, and White-bearded Flycatcher.

 

The lowland savannas and gallery forests here are filled with amazing birds, including the Jabiru, Maguari Stork, Horned Screamer, Sunbittern, Scarlet Ibis, Double-striped Thick-Knee, Hoatzin, Dwarf Cuckoo, Great Horned Owl, Black-and-white Owl, Burrowing Owl, Chestnut-fronted Macaw, Russet-throated Puffbird, and Wire-tailed Manakin.

Day 1: January 11 – Arrival and the First Search

 

We flew from Bogotá to Yopal early on January 11th and met our driver for the four-hour journey to the ranch. Local guides had seen the curassow in previous days, so we immediately headed to the exact location.

 

The Crestless Curassow is an uncommon and elusive bird. Its seasonal behaviors are dictated by rain, water levels, and food availability, making it highly unpredictable.  Despite our best efforts, we had to return to the lodge at nightfall without a sighting.

 

Even so, the day provided fantastic highlights, including two Brazilian Teals, two Speckled Chachalacas, four Lesser Yellow-headed Vultures, a Crane Hawk, a Pied Lapwing, two Double-striped Thick-knees, eight Nacunda Nighthawks, and two Pale-headed Jacamars. We also found a White-bearded Hermit, Blue-tailed Emeralds, a Chestnut-eared Aracari, two White-bearded Flycatchers, a Black-faced Tanager, an Orange-crowned Oriole, and two Purple-throated Euphonias.

Day 2: January 12 – Success with the Curassow

 

The next day, we shifted strategy and visited a second site where the curassow had been seen visiting a plantain crop, likely attracted by fallen fruit. The site was promising: a small stream ran nearby, edged by a thin but dense gallery forest.

 

We waited silently for about an hour. Suddenly, a beautiful male Crestless Curassow emerged, walking slowly and almost leisurely between the forest and the plantation. It was a tense and thrilling 30 minutes. The bird would stand still, nervously looking around, then calmly preen its tail feathers. We had ample time for magnificent scope views—a fantastic reward for a difficult-to-find target.

 

With our main target secured, we used the rest of the day to find the Masked Cardinal, which quickly showed up near the lodge.

The day was filled with other wetland and forest specialties, including five Horned Screamers, three Orinoco Geese, two Rufous-vented Chachalacas, a Rufescent Tiger-Heron, four Whistling Herons, six Scarlet Ibises, two Sharp-tailed Ibises, and three Jabirus. We also recorded an Aplomado Falcon, a Sunbittern, ten Chestnut-fronted Macaws, four Hoatzins, a Glittering-throated Emerald, two more Pale-headed Jacamars, and two Crimson-crested Woodpeckers.

 

In just this short, focused visit, we registered 131 species, with 127 species seen and 4 heard-only.

This focused, target-driven itinerary highlights the value of our private birding tours in Colombia. If you have a specific “nemesis bird” or a list of targets, contact Birding Tours Colombia. We can design a custom Colombia birding trip to help you find it. Explore our scheduled tours for 2026 and 2027 to see what adventures are waiting.

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