Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Along the Pacific, marine birds of all kinds are most visible, especially in the south,
where they can be found clustered along the shore. Here you'll see exuberant Chilean
flamingos, oversized Peruvian pelicans, plump Inca terns sporting white-feather mus-
taches and bright orange beaks, colonies of brown boobies engaged in elaborate mating
dances, cormorants and endangered Humboldt penguins, which can be spotted waddling
around the Islas Ballestas (
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.
In the highlands, the most famous bird of all is the Andean condor. Weighing up to
10kg, with a 3m-plus wingspan, this monarch of the air (a member of the vulture family)
once ranged over the entire Andean mountain chain from Venezuela to Tierra del Fuego.
Considered the largest flying bird in the world, the condor was put on the endangered spe-
cies list in the 1970s, due mostly to loss of habitat and pollution. But it was also hunted to
the brink of extinction because its body parts were believed to increase male virility and
ward off nightmares. Condors usually nest in impossibly high mountain cliffs that prevent
predators from snatching their young. Their main food source is carrion and they're most
easily spotted riding thermal air currents in the canyons around Arequipa (
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)
.
Other prominent high-altitude birds include the Andean gull (don't call it a seagull!),
which is commonly sighted along lakes and rivers as high as 4500m. The mountains are
also home to several species of ibis, such as the puna ibis, which inhabits lakeside
marshes, as well as roughly a dozen types of cinclodes, a type of ovenbird (their clay nests
resemble ovens) endemic to the Andes. Other species include torrent ducks, which nest in
small waterside caves, Andean geese, spotted Andean flickers, black-and-yellow Andean
siskins and, of course, a panoply of hummingbirds (see boxed text opposite).
Swoop down toward the Amazon and you'll catch sight of the world's most iconic trop-
ical birds, including boisterous flocks of parrots and macaws festooned in brightly plumed
regalia. You'll also see clusters of aracaris, toucans, parakeets, toucanets, ibises, regal
gray-winged trumpeters, umbrella birds donning gravity-defying feathered hairdos, crim-
son colored cocks-of-the-rock, soaring hawks and harpy eagles. The list goes on.
WATCHING WILDLIFE IN PERU
Sea lions, vicuñas, scarlet macaws and monkeys - a lot of travelers come to Peru specifically to observe the ex-
traordinary animal life. A few tips on making the most of your wildlife-watching:
» be willing to travel - the coast has limited fauna and some highland areas have been
hunted out; remote is the way to go
» hire a knowledgeable local guide - they know what to look for and where
