Colombia, the best birdwatching destination: wins 1st place again at Global Big Day 2024

Colombia once again recorded an outstanding performance at Global Big Day 2024, consolidating itself as the leading destination for bird watching in the world.

With a total of 1,558 registered species and 12,007 listings, the Country of Beauty surpassed countries such as Peru, Brazil, Ecuador and India, positioning itself at the top of the global count.

Since the creation of the Global Big Day in 2015, Colombia has obtained the first position in the ranking since 2017, except for 2021.

The figures speak for themselves: in 2017, 1,487 species were recorded; In 2018 it increased to 1,565 and in 2019 it reached 1,617. Although there was a slight decrease in 2020, with 1,453 species, Colombia recovered in 2022 with 1,561 and in 2023 with 1,547 species recorded.

This bird watching event is organized worldwide by the Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithology, which invites people from all over the world to observe and record birds for a day.

Its goal is to collect important data on the distribution and abundance of birds on its e-Bird platform, essential for conservation and scientific research.

The Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Germán Umaña Mendoza, highlighted that “developing nature tourism, with a conservation focus, is a priority for the Government of Change. For this reason, we have designed four birdwatching routes in the different regions of Colombia. The fifth is under development, through Fontur, and this week we announced the sixth, which corresponds to the Amazon tourist corridor.”

The event, which took place on May 11, was a good opportunity to highlight the vast diversity of bird species that inhabit Colombia, promoting the country as a unique birdwatching destination.

“Colombia's outstanding performance at Global Big Day 2024 reflects our commitment to the conservation of natural wealth and consolidates our position as a world leader in bird watching. 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.

Among the species found in the country, the Long-tailed Nictibio, Rufous Nictibio, Silk-tailed Nightjar, Tuberous Curassow and Sabanero Tapacaminos stand out, adding even more richness to the ornithological record of Colombia.

The Colombian departments that stood out in the count were Antioquia, Meta, Valle del Cauca, Putumayo and Cundinamarca, demonstrating the importance of biodiversity and conservation in these regions.

To carry out this great day in 2024, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism supported the organizations: Acoaves del Cauca, the Ornithological Society of Córdoba, the Pajareritos del Putumayo Foundation; the Group of Operators and Sighting Specialists of the Amazon Bird Observers Group, and the Ethnocultural Educational Institutions El Mamey, in Magdalena and Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento, in Meta. Together, they contributed around 491 species registered on the e-Bird platform.

These received field workshops with specialized guides, interpretive activities for scientific recognition, binoculars, birdwatching guides, among other logistical elements.

The teaching materials and equipment were made available to each destination, to contribute to the capacity-building processes and stimulate the participation of more young people in birdwatching and conservation.

ProColombia, for its part, joined USAID's Destination Nature program to promote bird counting, under the motto “Gossip flies, because birds have a lot to tell us,” a strategy that encouraged the participation of both experts and amateurs. in the event.

“It is excellent news to have once again placed first in terms of the number of bird species sighted during the Global Big Day. The above not only shows that every day more people are joining these citizen science events that are supported by the Program, but it also shows us that Colombians are becoming aware of the importance of conserving our biodiversity and its natural environments,” said Julián Guerrero, director of the USAID Nature Destination Program.

Source: Procolombia.