Black-fronted Piping-Guans at Parque Provincial Urugua-í

February 8, 2023

Laura and I left the environs of Iguazú Falls and worked our way south and then east, our destination being Parque Provincial Uragua-í. This park is a little bit off of the standard birding route and is not frequently visited by foreign birders. And, because there are no lodging options other than camping, most visiting birders who drop in only do so for a morning or an evening, before spending the night elsewhere. 

Orthoscapheus coriaceus - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

This park is famous as a semi-reliable location to seek out the remarkable Black-fronted Piping-Guan. Small numbers of piping-guans sometime come down to the river's edge next to the main public road. Quite a few birders have had their lifer Black-fronted Piping-Guan from the same bridge. Laura and I planned to car-camp here for a night, giving us an evening and a morning to find the guan. We were also excited for the mothing and night-hike possibilities.

Bordered Patch (Chlosyne lacinia) - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Camping here was about as straightforward as possible. We checked in with the forest guard and he had no problem with us staying. We did not have to pay anything, nor did we have to sign in anywhere. We warned him that the strange blue light he would see in the evening was just our moth light and he didn't seem to care at all.

Our campsite - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

We chilled for a bit during the heat of the afternoon, hitting the trails by 2:30 PM. There are two main trails at PP Urugua-í: a loop trail on the south side of the road, and another loop trail on the north side. We crossed the road and took the north route. 

 PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Bird activity was low - not a surprise at this time of day - but we quickly encountered a pair of Blond-crested Woodpeckers, only our second time finding this awesome species. 

Blond-crested Woodpecker - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

A small mixed flock held our lifer Lesser Woodcreeper while another first, a Variegated Antpitta, sang from somewhere off-trail. This species is common here and we heard several, but none were willing to show themselves. A crisp male Chestnut-headed Tanager was also a lifer. 

Ochre-collared Piculet - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

We stopped by a large bend in the nearby river, hoping that we would get lucky with a piping-guan (wishful thinking). The best find here was a mature Broad-snouted Caiman. This species, which ranges south of the Amazon basin, was a new one for Laura and I.

Broad-snouted Caiman (Caiman latirostris) - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

The rest of the hike was rather uneventful and we returned to the main road to stake out the famous piping-guan bridge.

View from the famous piping-guan bridge - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

I could scarcely believe it when Laura whisper-shouted that there was a pair of them on her side of the bridge!

Black-fronted Piping-Guans - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

The next hour was magical. A total of four guans were drinking from the river and they did not seem too perturbed by our presence. The photo opportunities were mouth-watering, to say the least!

Black-fronted Piping-Guan - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

The Black-fronted Piping-Guan is a scarce resident of the Atlantic forest. Only several thousand remain in the wild, with most found in São Paulo and Paraná, Brazil as well as northeastern Argentina. As usual, habitat destruction is main reason for their decline, but illegal hunting also plays a large role. 

Black-fronted Piping-Guan - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

The Black-fronted Piping-Guan is considered to have high quality meat, while its approachability makes it an easy target for hunters. In areas without effective anti-poaching measures, this species becomes extirpated quite rapidly. 

Black-fronted Piping-Guans - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Black-fronted Piping-Guan - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Black-fronted Piping-Guan - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

It was difficult to look away from the spectacular piping-guans, but a few other birds at the bridge provided brief distractions. We really enjoyed our first truly excellent view of a Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper. 

Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

We watched the guans until the sun had slunk below the horizon, signalling the end of another day. A high-flying Common Nighthawk flew overhead at dusk. This highly migratory species is quite uncommon in Misiones province, and this was one of just a handful of records on eBird. 

Common Nighthawk - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Laura and I choked down our dinner of leftover milanesa (fried chicken), french fries and salad, and set up the moth sheet and light. Our night hike was a little less productive than we had hoped, and reptiles remained mostly absent. This Common Red Brocket was loafing at the edge of the camping area. 

Common Red Brocket (Mazama americana) - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Common Red Brocket (Mazama americana) - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Below are a few photos from the evening. As always, even a slow night-hike is infinitely more interesting than if we had just stayed back.

Tailed Sulphur (Phoebis neocypris) - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Marbled White-lipped Frog (Leptodactylus elenae) - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Unidentified freshwater crab - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Selenops sp. - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Scinax fuscovarius - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Ramphia albizona - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Black Witch (Ascalapha odorata) - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Pomacea sp. - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Australoheros tembe - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Rapids Frog (Limnomedusa macroglossa) - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Laura discovered the frog of the night: this gorgeous Ocellated Tree Frog (Itapotihyla langsdorffii). Like most species in this region, it is endemic to the Atlantic Forest. 

Ocellated Tree Frog (Itapotihyla langsdorffii) - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

The moth sheet was rocking when we returned, keeping me occupied far later into the evening than I had originally intended. I have yet to go through and edit my photos - that seems like a good project for some cold, February evening - but here are a couple of the more interesting-looking moths and other insects. 

Phaloe cruenta - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Synchlora gerularia - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Unidentified leafhopper - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Agathodes designalis - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Nectopsyche ortizi - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Mung Bean Moth (Maruca vitrata) - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Semnia auritalis - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Laura and I hit the trails around dawn the next day. It was one of those mornings where everything seemed to come together and we lucked out with some really great sightings. 

Rufous Gnateater - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Without a doubt, the morning's rarest species was the pair of Buff-bellied Puffbirds that I first picked out by their distinctive vocalizations. With a bit of encouragement, they flew into a tree directly above our heads! This uncommon Atlantic Forest endemic is rather difficult here in Argentina. 

Buff-bellied Puffbird - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

A productive, bamboo-laden portion of the north loop trail gave us Blackish-blue Seedeater, Drab-breasted Pygmy-Tyrant, Gray-bellied Spinetail and Bertoni's Antbird. 

Blackish-blue Seedeater - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Gray-bellied Spinetail - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Other new birds for the morning included a Chestnut-bellied Euphonia and a heard-only Robust Woodpecker. Laura had missed the Chestnut-headed Tanager during the previous afternoon, but she corrected that this morning. 

White-throated Spadebill - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Even apart from all of the new birds, it was just a great morning to be out. The biting insects were mostly absent, the birds were singing, and the butterflies were fluttering by. 

Eutychide physcella - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Statira Sulphur (Phoebis statira) - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Before packing up the car and leaving, I checked out the river for a few minutes. This was a good decision as a medley of various butterflies and dragonflies were active. 

Erythrodiplax melanorubra - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Coenus Sailor (Dynamine coenus) - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Aethilla echina - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Progomphus complicatus - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Hydaspes Eighty-Eight (Callicore hydaspes) - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Peristicta sp. - PP Urugua-í, Seccional Uruzú, Misiones, Argentina

Our stay at Parque Provincial Urugua-í was amazing and we came away with a bevy of great sightings and memories. I can't recommend this place enough if you are looking for a quiet place to camp where there are excellent birds and other wildlife.