Colombia’s Rich Avian Diversity Shines in Global Birdwatching Event

Saturday, May 25, 2024

Colombia is the leading destination for birdwatching in the world, and that’s a fact. With 1,558 species recorded and 12,007 checklists submitted during the Global Big Day, Colombia outperformed countries such as Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, and India, securing the top spot in the global count.

Since the inception of Global Big Day in 2015, Colombia has ranked first in the standings since 2017, except for 2021. This event, organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, invites people from around the world to observe and record birds for a day. The goal is to gather important data on the distribution and abundance of birds on its eBird platform, which is crucial for conservation and scientific research.

“The outstanding performance of Colombia reflects our commitment to preserve natural wealth and consolidates our position as a world leader in birdwatching. We invite nature lovers to discover the magic of our landscapes and the extraordinary biodiversity of Colombia, The Country of Beauty,” said Carmen Caballero, President of ProColombia, the promotion agency of the country.

The Colombian departments that stood out in the count were Antioquia, Meta, Valle del Cauca, Putumayo, and Cundinamarca, highlighting the importance of biological diversity and conservation across the country’s six tourist regions.

For this year’s event, ProColombia joined the USAID Destination Nature program to boost the bird count under the slogan “Gossip flies because birds have much to tell us.” This strategy encouraged participation from both experts and enthusiasts during the event.

“It is excellent news to have once again ranked first in the number of bird species spotted during Global Big Day. This not only shows that more people are joining these citizen science days supported by the Program but also shows that Colombians are becoming aware of the importance of conserving our biodiversity and natural environments,” said Julián Guerrero, Director of the USAID Destination Nature Program.