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Birdwatching in Peru
- Birdwatching in Peru
- Flamingoes of Peru
- Villa Rica: Birding Shade Coffe
- Birds of the Amazonian River Islands
- Bamboo Birds Specialization in Southeastern Peru
Villa Rica: Birding Shade Coffe
The mixed species flock swirled through the middle layers of the canopy as we watched the Straw-backed Tanager foraging on the stout plants with pungent white flowers in the understorey, the golden straw colour of its back shining out in the shaded understorey. This rare and little-known tanager is found only locally in its small range in northeast Peru and northwest Bolivia. It was accompanied by a rich assortment of other birds: woodcreepers, furnariids, antbirds, and flycatchers, including White-bellied Pygmy-Tyrant, Red-billed Tyrannulet, and the recently described Cinnamon-faced Tyrannulet. The morning air is filled with the cackling of oropendolas and caciques in the canopy and the odd booming song of Short-tailed Antthrush. Coraya Wrens sing their loud duet and Chestnut-backed Antshrikes shriek from the scrubby patches lining the access road where other outstanding bird species such as Tataupa Tinamou, Buff-tailed Sicklebill, Band-bellied Owl, Lanceolated Monklet, and Creamy-bellied Antwren can be seen
We are birding a “cafetal rustico”, a rustic coffee plantation, only a short drive from Villa Rica in central Peru. Nestled in the eastern foothills of the Andes, this bustling town is the centre of Peru’s coffee-growing industry. It may seem an unlikely birding area, but the combination of shade coffee plantations and remnant forest patches make Villa Rica an excellent destination for a few days birding. And, at only 10 hours from Lima, it is some of the most accessible east slope foothill forest in the country. Ornithologically unexplored until recently, Villa Rica boasts a list of nearly 400 species, with surely more to come.
Coffee growing was established in Villa Rica by immigrants of German origin in the 1930s, laying the foundation of an industry that now earns Peru about $200 million each year. Peru has found a unique niche in the world’s competitive and lucrative coffee market and is now the second largest exporter of organic speciality coffee, including Villa Rica’s well-known “Café de Chanchamayo”.
Villa Rica led the way in the development of “technified shade” coffee, a system that uses various kinds of Inga, a tree in the bean family, to provide the shade that coffee needs. Known locally as “Pacay”, Inga also produces flowers that are very attractive to hummingbirds and fruits that bring in parrots, warblers, and tanagers. The Villa Rica area also has large areas of “rustic shade” coffee, where the coffee plants are grown under a remnant forest canopy or under a diverse array of native trees typical of secondary forest.
Whether managed Inga shade or more diverse rustic shade, coffee plantations act as modified forest habitats, and as a result, many forest birds continue to find refuge in coffee plantations. Recently, researchers have become interested in coffee plantations as an important resource for Neotropical migrants, that can provide habitats for an impressive list of species. In the Villa Rica area, almost half of the 400 birds on the list have been seen in Inga coffee, and nearly three-quarters in rustic coffee, underlining their importance.
We can only hope that the cafetaleros who choose to grow these shade grown coffees are well-rewarded with premiums to compensate for the lower, but more ecologically sound yields, as we are rewarded with the birds they host.
Villa Rica makes a good base for exploring the surrounding forest areas and coffee plantations. On the ridges around the town, nice montane forest remains, and the connection to the huge national park of Yanachaga-Chemillïn adds to the diversity. Wattled Guan, Olivaceous Piha, Jet Manakin, Cerulean-capped Manakin, Yellow-cheeked Becard, White-eared Solitaire, Yellow-throated Tanager, Black-goggled Tanager, and Golden-collared Honeycreeper are only a few of the riches that inhabit these slopes.
A unique feature is the lake and marsh complex of Laguna Oconal, one of the largest marshes at this elevation in the region. It has attracted an exciting range of birds in the past, including the highly sought-after but rarely seen Masked Duck, as well as Limpkin, Blackish Rail, and Purple Gallinule. Ocellated Poorwill, Scissor-tailed Nightjar, and Striped Owl can be found here in the evening.
The shrubby habitats around the lake are home to Variable Chachalaca, Sepia-capped Flycatcher, and Black-faced Tanager, and have produced an unusual record for Thrush-like Antpitta.
Many of the best spots around Villa Rica are within walking distance, and for longer trips you could go by taxi. To explore some of the more distant forest patches a 4-wheel drive truck is recommended. The area can be birded adequately in a few days, but a week would be better. Villa Rica is an especially friendly town offering a few basic hotels, a good variety of restaurants, and of course some of the finest coffee you will taste anywhere.
We are indebted to the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (SMBC). For more information about shade-grown coffee visit the SMBC website at
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/MigratoryBirds/Coffee/
BUD AND MARGARET WIDDOWSON*
*worked on a Smithsonian Institution shade coffee project in Villa Rica, and have traveled and birded extensively in Peru. They have both seen over half the birds of Peru. They are currently consultant biologists based in California.
e-mail: widdowson@saber.net
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