Palmas Birdwatching: Cerrado & Araguaia Avifauna
The Palmas region is a world-class birding destination — the cerrado around the city, the Araguaia River wetlands, and the artificial lake all contribute to an extraordinary bird diversity
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Hyacinth Macaw in the Palmas region
The cobalt blue hyacinth macaw - the world's largest parrot and an endangered species - lives in the buriti palm groves of Tocantin's cerrado; breeding pairs are found in the buriti palms near the town of
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Jabiru Stork Colony
The Jabiru stork (tuiuiú) — South America's tallest flying bird — breeds in large colonies in the Araguaia Valley near Palmas; the huge cane nests on top of dead trees are visible from the river access roads
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Cerrado endemic birds
The Cerrado has 26 endemic bird species including ochre-breasted pipit, brasília tapaculo and curlew — the diversity of endemic birds in the savannah around Palmas is a major attraction for bird watchers
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Lake Palmas Waterbirds
The man-made lake has attracted waterfowl species to Palmas that were absent before the dam - roseate birds, large flocks of herons and the occasional American flamingo now use the lake and its shores
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Pantanal-Cerrado Corridor
The Pantanal-Cerrado Ecological Corridor passes through the Tocantins — the migratory and seasonal movement of birds and mammals between the two biomes creates extraordinary wildlife viewing opportunities
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Araguaia National Park Birds
Araguaia National Park on Ilha do Bananal - accessed by boat from Santa Terezinha near Palmas - protects wetland habitats with exceptional bird diversity including sundew, boat-billed heron and agami heron