According to the Colombian Biodiversity Information System (SiB) (2024), Colombia is a megadiverse country with 79,831 registered species. It ranks first in orchid, butterfly, and bird species (1,966 species, of which 84 are endemic, 140 are migratory (Echeverry, Acevedo et al., 2022), and 139 are in some threat category (Ministry of Environment, Housing, and Territorial Development [MAVDT], 2024). The country is one of the most attractive places for birdwatchers, with nearly 20% of the world’s total bird species in a single country.

In the department of Caldas, 841 bird species have been registered, 24 endemic species, 86 boreal and 5 southern migratory bird species, 3 introduced species, 42 are under some degree of threat according to the Red Book of Birds of Colombia and 59 according to the IUCN (Aristizábal-Salazar et al., 2023). With 42% of Colombia’s birds (Aristizábal et al., 2023) in a department that occupies less than 1% of the country, Caldas is positioned as a birdwatching destination nationally and internationally since it has diverse ecosystems such as dry forests, humid tropical forests and moors, which cover elevations from 400 to 5,400 meters above sea level. Additionally, the department offers several advantages, including specialized birdwatching sites, excellent road and hotel infrastructure, associations of trained guides, birdwatching clubs, and tour operators specializing in birdwatching. Furthermore, local stakeholders are trained to provide comprehensive services in the highly demanding field of birdwatching.

The Caldas Birdwatching Congress is recognized as one of the most prominent events in Colombia, thanks to its trajectory, organization, invited experts, dedicated team, high level of convocation, and, of course, its birdwatching outings to various nature reserves and locations of high potential in avifauna, where the participants will know experientially the great natural wealth of the department and especially its birds.

During its history, the Birdwatching Congress has captivated bird watchers, nature photographers, tour operators, the scientific community, ornithological associations, research entities, university institutions, conservation foundations, professional tour guides, local guides, community groups, businessmen in rural accommodation, tertiary service providers such as transporters, restaurants, craftsmen and in general to the community that seeks an alternative for rest or pastime in nature.

Bird watching is a growing market in the world and Caldas has proven to be a high-level destination, advancing and preparing more and more to continue meeting this high demand that places it on the international radar as a mecca for bird tourism, which allowed that the organizers of the South American Bird Fair, the most important fair on the continent and which takes place every year in a different country, saw Manizales as the venue for the development of their fair in 2018 with more than a thousand participants, being the version with the greatest assistance during its 11 versions developed to date. Subsequently, and after the closure of activities due to isolation during the pandemic, the fair returns to Manizales in 2021 because at the time Caldas, representing Colombia, was prepared to run the fair at a time when other organizations could not do it efficiently. This event was carried out with all the recommendations of the moment, and was used as a means to reactivate tourism and the local economy.

The congress positively impacts the child population by bringing boys, girls and young people closer to the world of bird watching in their natural environment, with satellite activities prior to the event with cycles of talks in museums, talks in schools and bird watching outings. birds to leave a message of conservation in a population of high importance for environmental education from an early age.

Aristizábal-Salazar, D. F.; Ramírez-Chaves, H. E. & Ocampo, D. (2023). Aves del departamento de Caldas, Colombia: riqueza y afinidades biogeográficas. Acceso: https://repositorio.ucaldas.edu.co/handle/ucaldas/19505. Tesis de pregrado para optar a título de Biólogo. Universidad de Caldas, Manizales.

Echeverry-Galvis, M. A., Acevedo-Charry, O., Avendaño, J. E., Gómez, C., Estela, F. A, & Cuervo, A. M. (2022): Lista oficial de las aves de Colombia 2022: Adiciones, cambios taxonómicos y actualizaciones de estado. Ornitología Colombiana 22. Disponible en: https://asociacioncolombianadeornitologia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/

Echeverry- Galvis-et-al.-Lista-oficial-de-las-aves-de-Colombia-2022-FINAL25-51.pdf Consultado 28/08/2023

SiB Sistema de Información sobre Biodiversidad de Colombia. (2023). Biodiversidad en cifras Colombia. Disponible en https://cifras.biodiversidad.co/ Consultado 02/07/2024

Ministerio de Ambiente, Vivienda y Desarrollo Territorial. (2024). Resolución 0126 de 2024: Renovó la lista de especies silvestres amenazadas para la biodiversidad de Colombia, que llevaba vigente 7 años desde su última actualización. Colombia.