BIRDING
REGUA is a birdwatcher's paradise, featuring continuous forest from 35 to over 2,000 meters above sea level. With diverse habitats like lowland and highland forests, wetlands, and farmland, plus a lodge tailored for bird enthusiasts and excellent birdwatching trails, it's an exceptional destination. Home to 485 recorded bird species, with an additional 70+ species seen on excursions, REGUA offers an unparalleled birding experience
Birders in action! (©️ REGUA)
Premier Atlantic Forest birding!
With continuous forest cover over the full altitudinal range (35 metres to over 2,000 metres above sea level), a wide range of habitats including lowland forest, highland forest, wetlands and farmland, a lodge set up especially for birdwatchers and wildlife enthusiasts, and a network of excellent birdwatching trails, REGUA is a very special place for birds and birdwatchers alike.
485 species of birds have been recorded at REGUA! An additional 70+ species can be seen on our birdwatching excursions.
Endemics
REGUA lies in the heart of the Atlantic Forest Lowlands Endemic Bird Area.
An incredible 118 bird species unique to the Atlantic Forest and 63 species endemic to Brazil have been recorded at REGUA.
Spot-billed Toucanet ( ©️Lee Dingain)
Russet-winged Spadebill ( ©️Lee Dingain)
Red List birds at REGUA
REGUA is home to thirteen species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Crowned Eagle and Brown-backed Parrotlet (both classified as Endangered), and White-necked Hawk, Golden-tailed Parrotlet, White-bearded Antshrike, Salvadori’s Antwren, Fork-tailed Tody-Tyrant, Russet-winged Spadebill, Bare-throated Bellbird, Black-backed Tanager, Black-legged Dacnis, Buffy-fronted Seedeater and Temminck’s Seedeater (all Vulnerable).
A further 26 species found on the reserve are classified as Near-threatened.
REGUA specialities
There are some bird species that are perhaps easier to find at REGUA than anywhere else and therefore high on the wanted list of visiting birders.
These specialities include Shrike-like Cotinga, Russet-winged Spadebill, Black-legged Dacnis, Giant Snipe, Black-banded Owl and Masked Duck.
Giant Snipe (© Leonardo Pimentel)
REGUA’s very confortable lodge (©️ REGUA)
Accommodation
Our visitor lodge is located beside our restored wetlands with easy access to marked birdwatching trails, viewing towers and hides.
The lodge is well equipped with ten air-conditioned rooms, a comfortable lounge, a dining area, swimming pool, natural history library, WiFi and plenty of power sockets for recharging cameras, laptops etc. The lodge garden has numerous fruit and hummingbird feeders and even a ‘moth wall’. Accommodation is full board with packed lunches also provided for full days in the field.
All income from visitors goes directly towards our conservation work!
Bird guides
Visitors are free to bird the trails at REGUA with or without a guide. Our two local bird guides are experts on Atlantic Forest birds with years of experience guiding international visitors. We strongly recommend hiring a guide, especially for those unfamiliar with the avifauna of Brazil or birding in a rainforest environment.
Booking in advance is essential.
Adilei is a very good birdguide and knows his birds! (©️ Lee Dingain)
You can reach the waterfall walking on the Green trail (©️ REGUA)
Birdwatching trails
Our extensive network of trails take you deep into lowland Atlantic Forest, up into highland elfin forest, past rivers, waterfalls, and restored wetlands.
Our birdwatching trails are clearly marked every 50 metres with coloured posts. Transport to and from trail heads is included with your stay.
Self-guided leaflets are available for the trails around the lodge.
Birdwatching excursions
The Atlantic Forest is comprised of a range of habitat types. Guided full-day birdwatching excursions off-reserve are available to explore elevations difficult to reach at REGUA as well as habitats not present within the reserve including high elevation montane Atlantic Forest, dry Atlantic Forest on the landward side of the Serra dos Órgãos mountains, coastal restinga forest, salt pans and rocky coasts.
We also organise short guided night-birding excursions at REGUA for nocturnal birds.
Red-legged Seriema (©️ REGUA)
Black-banded Owl (©️ Nicholas Locke)
Night-birding
REGUA offers excellent night-birding. Lodge guests are free to walk the Wetland Trail and Forest Trail at night without an accompanying bird guide to look for Tawny-browed Owl, Tropical Screech-Owl, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Common Potoo and Pauraque.
We also offer guided night-birding excursions to look for the elusive Giant Snipe, Scissor-tailed Nightjar, Spot-tailed Nightjar, Barn Owl, Black-banded Owl, Tawny-browed Owl, Mottled Owl, Black-capped Screech-Owl, Common Potoo and Long-tailed Potoo.