Misiones
Misiones is the second smallest of the 23 provinces of Argentina, and covers an area of just 29,801 km2 (11,506 square miles) with a population of around 1,300,000 people. The capital and largest city is Posadas, which metropolitan area has a population of almost 450,000. It is located in the northeastern corner of the country in the Mesopotamia region, 1.600 km (1,000 m.) to the north of Buenos Aires. It is surrounded by the country of Paraguay to the northwest, Brazil to the north and east, and the province of Corrientes to the southwest.
The Misiones plateau includes a part of Brazil across the border. The rocks contain significant quantities of iron which forms a part of the soil, giving it a reddish colour. At the centre of the plateau rises the Sierra de Misiones, its highest peak, 843 m, near Bernardo de Irigoyen, in the Cerro Rincón.
The province is embraced by three big rivers including the Paraná, Uruguay and Iguazú. Iguazu Falls are spectacular waterfalls on the Iguazú River in the northwest corner of the province, near the city of Puerto Iguazú. Misiones shares the falls with the Brazilian state of Paraná; the international border with Paraguay is also very close by.
Iguazu Falls – ©chensiyuan CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The subtropical climate has no dry season, which makes Misiones one of the most humid provinces in Argentina. There are four distinct seasons although winters and autumns are fairly short. The mean annual temperature is around 21 °C (70 °F). June to August typically register the coldest days when temperatures can fall below 10 °C and Summers are hot with temperatures exceeding 32 °C from December to February. Average annual rainfall ranges from 74 inches in the south to 93 inches in the north with two peaks occurring in Spring and Autumn and with winters being driest. The vegetation is the so called ‘Selva Misionera’. Part of it has been transformed by mankind for ranching. The original biome is protected in Iguazú National Park.
Other protected areas include Esmeralda Provincial Park, which protects over 30,000 hectares of the Alto Paraná Atlantic forest, adjacent to similar protection in Brazil and Paraguay. There is also the Uruguia-I Provincial Park adjacent to Iguazú National Park, home to around 350 bird species.
Birding Misiones
Close to Iguazú Airport and its surroundings is the Iguazú National Park. Hereyou can just walk along its trails and paths and gorge yourself with the sighting of its very many different birds including a variety of Toucans, Trogons and Hummingbirds. In the open areas you can easily spot Black Vultures, Swallow-tailed Kites and Swifts. In the bordering bushes Plush-crested Jays and Red-rumped Caciques are very common. Guira Cuckoos and a variety of parrots fly everywhere and ground doves are abundant. Do not forget your camera as here are the world famous Iguazú Falls full of Neotropic Cormorants and Great Dusky Swifts.
Salto Encantadom Provincial Park – ©Leandro Kibisz CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Species found in the nearby Uruguia-I Provincial Park include Bare-faced Curassow Crax fasciolata, Blue-winged Macaw Primolius maracana, Blue-bellied Parrot Triclaria malachitacea, Red-spectacled Amazon Amazona pretrei, Purple-winged Ground Dove Claravis geoffroyi, Temminck’s Seedeater Sporophila falcirostris, Brazilian Merganser Mergus octosetaceus, Grey-bellied Hawk Accipiter poliogaster, Harpy Eagle Harpia harpyja and Canebrake Groundcreeper Clibanornis dendrocolaptoides). The park is also an important site for conserving the Black-fronted Piping Guan Pipile jacutinga.
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Number of bird species: 621
(As at September 2026)
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Avibase
PDF ChecklistThis checklist includes all bird species found in Misiones , based on the best information available at this time. It is based on a wide variety of sources that I collated over many years. I am pleased to offer these checklists as a service to birdwatchers. If you find any error, please do not hesitate to report them. -
eBird
PDF ChecklistThis checklist is generated with data from eBird (ebird.org), a global database of bird sightings from birders like you. If you enjoy this checklist, please consider contributing your sightings to eBird. It is 100% free to take part, and your observations will help support birders, researchers, and conservationists worldwide.
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NP Parque Nacional Iguazú
InformationSatellite ViewThe fauna of the park includes several endangered species: jaguar, jaguarundi, South American Tapir, Ocelot, tirica, anteater, pavas de monte, the Harpy Eagle, and the Yacare Caiman. One can also find birds like the vencejo de cascada and large toucans, mammals like the coatí, and a diversity of butterflies. The Vinaceous Amazon, named for its wine-colored plumage, is found in this park… -
NR Reserva Natural Estricta San Antonio
WebpageSatellite ViewSan Antonio was created in 1990 as a strict nature reserve and is located in the northeast of the Province of Misiones, in the Department General Belgrano. -
NR Reserva Yaguaroundí
Facebook PageSatellite ViewThe Yaguaroundí Private Reserve is located in the green corridor of the Missionary Forest -
PP Esmeralda Provincial Park
InformationSatellite ViewThe Esmeralda Provincial Park is in the department of San Pedro, Misiones. It has an area of 31,619 hectares (78,130 acres). The park is in the Alto Paraná Atlantic forests ecoregion. It is the core of the Yabotí Biosphere Reserve, and protects the Arroyo Yabotí basin. It has rugged terrain with abundant forest. The park contains the Marcio Ayres Biological Station, which is used by scientists studying biodiversity. -
PP Urugua-í Provincial Park
InformationSatellite ViewThe Urugua-í Provincial Park protects an area of Alto Paraná Atlantic forests in the upper basin of the Urugua-í River.
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Misiones Rare Bird Alert
SightingsObservations for last 7 days - The report below shows observations of rare birds in Misiones. Includes both unreviewed and reviewed/approved observations.
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Birding Iguazu - Fernando 'Pocho' Cabral
Local Tour OperatorTour Guide at Iguazú National Park and North East of Argentina. -
Iguazu bird watching
Local Tour OperatorMisiones, with its fantastic nature, is one of the favorite destinations for local and international birdwatchers and wildlife lovers. -
Kaiyote Tours
Tour OperatorIguazu Argentina Birding Tour -
Natiural Mystic Expeditions
Tour OperatorWe are a multidisciplinary team devoted to immersive experiences in nature. -
Seriema Nature Tours
Tour OperatorThe subtropical forests of Misiones represent the largest tract of Interior Atlantic forest, the habitat with the highest biodiversity of Argentina. T -
Toucan Birding Guides
Tour OperatorBirding in the Atlantic Forests of Misiones and beyond... -
Trogon Tours
Tour OperatorTrogon Tours is the official nature travel company of Birding Argentina, the leading birding and nature specialists for southern South America since 2001
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2025 [08 August] - Sandpiper Birding
ReportBirdwatching en Corrientes y Misiones: Un viaje con Janusz y su familia. -
2025 [10 October] - Dave Sargeant
PDF Report...We first drove to Parque Provincial Urugua-I, and walked the very pleasant three kilometre loop trail. Some good birds this morning with Spotted Bamboowren finally seen. Also Black-fronted Piping Guan, Rusty-margined Guan, Scale-throated Hermit, Toco Toucan and Blacksmith Thrush... -
2025 [10 October][ - Giancarlo Ventolini - Brazilian Pantanal and the Atlantic Forest in Iguazú
PDF Report...We left the hotel before dawn with packed lunches and headed to the Urugua-í Uruzú Section, located in northern Misiones, within the Atlantic Forest ecoregion...
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Yacutinga Lodge
AccommodationAn environmentally friendly Lodge and Private Wildlife Nature Reserve located in the heart of the Argentine Rainforest, surrounded by the Iguaz
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Photographer - Sergio Marcelo Allende
GallerySite dedicated to bird photography in northeastern Argentina from Sergio Marcelo Allende