Amazonas: An Eldorado for birdwatching

In all, there are 100 million observers around the world, with the largest emitters to the Amazon being the United States, England, Canada, Japan, Germany.

Of the 1,300 species of birds that exist in the Amazon, Amazonas has 929 of them. The significant number has attracted more and more ecotourists and lovers of birdwatching (birdwatching), especially for Presidente Figueiredo (107 kilometers from Manaus), which has 480 cataloged birds, among them some rare ones like the mysterious uirapuru (Cyphorhinus arada) and the mountain rooster (Rupicola rupicola).

The activity, which mixes adventure with contemplation of nature, has been explored for more than 10 years in the city by tourists who are enchanted by the voices of the forest. O birdwatching - which helps to combat depression and anxiety - counts on operators in the trade, which annually receive more than 5 thousand tourists, including Brazilians and foreigners. Presidente Figueiredo has stood out in birdwatching because of its proximity to the capital, with access via BR-174 (Manaus-Boa Vista), and because of the green eldorado interspersed with beautiful waterfalls, caves, and grottos.

Adventure and the singing of the forest

Last weekend, technicians of the marketing sector of the Amazonas State Tourism Company (Amazonastur) lived the experience of a birdwatcher, immersing themselves in the trails for about six hours of walking and a lot of adventure.

Under the guidance of tour guide and biologist Juliene Tavares (Biotur), the technicians were not intimidated by the strong heat and humidity inside the Onça Private Natural Heritage Reserve (RPPN) and walked in search of the "Song of Happiness", the melody produced by the uirapuru.

Throughout the walk, the tourist will be enchanted by the natural beauty of the RPPN, which includes two trails (Orquídeas and Onça) of over 1 kilometer, as well as the beautiful Cachoeira da Onça (Jaguar Waterfall).

After almost 35 minutes of walking along the trails, it is possible to hear the sound of the 'divine flute of life' emitted by the uirapuru. The loud sound of the 'maestro of the Amazon' enchants observers, especially because of the rarity in which the bird appears, since it only sings 15 to 20 days a year, between the months of August and October. "It was something quite atypical that occurred today," commented the guide.

Maroaga Cave

Still in Presidente Figueiredo, the tourist has the option of venturing for approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes through the trails of the Environmental Protection Area (APA) of the Maroaga Cave (speleological attraction), at km 6 of Balbina road (AM-240).

All the effort, which requires up-to-date physical conditioning, is in search of the rare mountain rooster, the bird symbol of Presidente Figueiredo, since the bird is found in Brazil only in the states of Amazonas and Roraima, due to the caves, caverns and forests.

During the tour, the visitor will be enchanted by the Maroaga cave, which has about 470 meters of caves, with sandstone rocks that are more than 400 million years old. At the site, it is possible to see the female mountain rooster (brownish color), which nests inside the caves.

Observation requires complete silence, since any movement drives the saw cockerel away from the site. "They (saw cockerels) love a lot of campinarana forest. Many birders come from all over the world to observe these birds," explained Juliene.

Ornithological tourism (bird watching)

According to the master in environmental science, researcher Maurício Noronha, from the State Secretary of Environment (Sema), ornithological tourism is one of the fastest growing in the world, and Amazonas stands out as the biggest "Birdwatching Portal" in Latin America. According to him, the profile of birdwatchers is of good socioeconomic level, with willingness to face adventures and increase the number of sighted species in their personal lists.

In all, there are 100 million birdwatchers around the world, and the biggest senders to the Amazon are the United States, England, Canada, Japan, and Germany. On average, the birdwatchersspend US$ 70 with tourist packages, staying between 4 and 9 days in the region. In Brazil there are about 35 thousand birdwatchers, with the Pantanal, Foz do Iguaçu, Rio de Janeiro, and Amazônia as the main destinations.

The Anavilhanas National Park, in Novo Airão, and Mamirauá, in Tefé, are also attractive places for birdwatchers. "In Anavilhanas, some islands have species unique to that place. Amazonas has a very strong potential in this sector", emphasized the researcher.

With information from Amazonastur