The Terror Bird's Relative

January 21, 2023

Laura and I left Salta before dawn so that we could be at our first birding location nice and early. The forecasted weather would be few degrees warmer than normal summer temperatures, and we wanted to make the most of our morning. 

Our goal for the day was to cover the several hours of driving that it would take to reach the town of Yala, which is situated next to a reserve called Potrero de Yala. That reserve is home to a bunch of interesting species including the Red-faced Guan and Rufous-throated Dipper. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. We had a lot to look for on our drive to Yala. 

Embalse Campo Alegre, Salta, Argentina

Our first stop was near a reservoir called Embalse Campo Alegre which is surrounded by chaco scrub. As soon as we pulled up, we noticed a long-legged bird strutting beside the roadside. Red-legged Seriema!

Red-legged Seriema - Embalse Campo Alegre, Salta, Argentina

While Laura and I had heard our first Red-legged Seriema several days earlier, we were stoked to finally view a pair. After the rheas, this is the tallest terrestrial bird in the Americas. The two species of seriemas are not closely related to any other living birds, as they are the only surviving species in the taxonomic order Cariamiformes. The other, now extinct birds in this order were also terrestrial predators, including the well-named terror birds (Phorusrhacidae), some of which stood up to 10 feet tall!

Red-legged Seriema - Embalse Campo Alegre, Salta, Argentina

We enjoyed awesome views of this super-cool species. Periodically over the next hour, its far-reaching calls provided the soundtrack to our morning birding. 

Red-legged Seriema - Embalse Campo Alegre, Salta, Argentina

Red-legged Seriema - Embalse Campo Alegre, Salta, Argentina

We poked around the margins of the lake for a while, hoping to improve on our heard-only Yungas Sparrows from yesterday. They were surprisingly absent, but we found a few other things including flyover Scaly-headed Parrots, as well as some Yellowish Pipits and White Monjitas. The latter species sounds like the name of a delicious cocktail. 

Yellowish Pipit - Embalse Campo Alegre, Salta, Argentina

White Monjita - Embalse Campo Alegre, Salta, Argentina

Scaly-headed Parrot - Embalse Campo Alegre, Salta, Argentina

A few Yungas Guans were along the roadside in this area, giving us our first good looks at this species. 

Yungas Guan - Embalse Campo Alegre, Salta, Argentina

We left the scrubby environs of the reservoir behind us and followed the winding road into the hills. Here, the vegetation quickly transitioned to mature, humid yungas forest. 

Paraje El Ucumar, Salta, Argentina

Paraje El Ucumar, Salta, Argentina

We spent the rest of the morning birding slowly along the roadside. Once again the traffic was a little annoying but we made the most of it and found a number of interesting birds, some of which were lifers for one or both of us. 

Slaty Elaenia - Paraje El Ucumar, Salta, Argentina

Orange-headed Tanager - Paraje El Ucumar, Salta, Argentina

We encountered two species of brushfinches including the White-browed and Fulvous-headed. The latter species is a member of the genus Atlapetes, one of my favourite genera. I have now seen 25 of the 30 species - just five to go!

White-browed Brushfinch - Paraje El Ucumar, Salta, Argentina

Fulvous-headed Brushfinch - Paraje El Ucumar, Salta, Argentina

We kept an ear out for two antshrikes of very different sizes: the minuscule Rufous-capped Antshrike, and the monstrous Giant Antshrike. We found several Rufous-capped but the Giants remained absent (for now). 

Rufous-capped Antshrike - Paraje El Ucumar, Salta, Argentina

I have been surprised by the relative lack of butterflies and other insects during our wanderings in humid yungas forest. It is a far cry from other sites we have visited on the east slope of the Andes. Below are our meager finds from this morning. 

Great Southern White (Ascia monuste) - Abra de Santa Laura, Jujuy, Argentina

Alagoasa decemguttata - Abra de Santa Laura, Jujuy, Argentina

Once we had completed our drive through the hills and were back in the deforested lowlands, Laura and I briefly investigated a different reservoir: Embalse Las Maderas. A drive down a gravel road during the heat of the day did not produce much of interest. However, I fortuitously picked the perfect location for a quick bathroom break. A pair of Moss-backed Sparrows flew across the road - a new one for my pee list! (I don't actually keep a pee list, but maybe I should!).

Moss-backed Sparrow - Embalse Las Maderas, Jujuy, Argentina

Moss-backed Sparrow - Embalse Las Maderas, Jujuy, Argentina

Moss-backed Sparrow - Embalse Las Maderas, Jujuy, Argentina

We also checked out a viewpoint over a different part of the reservoir where a number of ducks, shorebirds, grebes and other waterbirds loafed and floated about. Highlights here included our first Roseate Spoonbills of the trip. 

Embalse Las Maderas, Jujuy, Argentina

And with that, we finished the drive to Yala. As it was a weekend, finding a room for the night was a little difficult since this region is a popular weekend destination for Argentinians. But we finally succeeded at a hostel in the nearby town of Villa Jardín de Reyes.