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Armenia Cloud Forest Birding: Hummingbirds & Andean Endemics

The cloud forests above Armenia and the Quindío are extraordinary birding territory — the transition from coffee zone to cloud forest to páramo creates multiple bird communities with numerous Colombian endemics

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Toucan Barbet
The toucan barbet – a spectacular multicolored bird endemic to Andra – is found in the cloud forests above Armenia; the bird's extraordinary combination of yellow, red, blue and black on a single body makes it one of Colombia's most sought-after species
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Multicolored Tanagers
The Andean cloud forest above Armenia has an extraordinary diversity of tanagers - paradise tanagers, golden tanagers, beryl-spangled tanagers - all visible from the cloud forest trails; the Andean tanager diversity is the world's highest in one region
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Wax palm and bird interaction
The wax palms of Cocora Valley are ecological keystones - several species of birds nest in the palms or feed on their fruits; the yellow-eared parrot, critically endangered, nests almost exclusively in wax palms; the palm conservation has directly saved the parrot
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Conservation of yellow-eared parrots
The yellow-eared parrot – once nearly extinct – was saved through a conservation program centered on the Quindío wax palms; the program, which involves local farmers in conservation, is cited as one of Latin America's great conservation success stories
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Hummingbird Corridor
Acaime and other cloud forest reserves above Salento and Armenia have hummingbird feeding stations; the variety of hummingbirds attracted—the booted racket-tail, the collared incan, the purple-bib white tip—represent the extraordinary Andean hummingbird radiation
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Bird watching from Coffee Farms
Many of the coffee fincas around Armenia are excellent birdwatching sites — the shady coffee canopy attracts migrants and resident species; the combination of a coffee farm stay and morning bird watching is one of Colombia's most enjoyable experiences