Home ≫ World Birding ≫ South America ≫ Brazil ≫ Pará

State of Pará

Violaceous Euphonia Euphonia violacea ©Dubi Shapiro Website

Pará is one of the twenty-seven states of Brazil located in the north and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It is bordered by the Brazilian states of Amapá to the north, Maranhão to the northeast, Tocantins to the southeast, Mato Grosso to the south, Amazonas to the west and Roraima to the northwest. To the northwest it also borders the countries of Guyana and Suriname, and to the northeast it borders the Atlantic Ocean. It is the second largest state in the country covering 1,247,689 km2 (481,735 square miles) with a population of around nine million people. The capital and largest city is Belém, located at the mouth of the Amazon at the Atlantic Ocean and the 11th most populous city in Brazil with a metropolitan population of around 2.3 million people.

It is characterised by the Amazon River and the Amazon Rainforest. Its major habitats cover all three rainforest types, with dense lowland forest, Igapo flooded forest and seasonally inundated forest. Elsewhere are coastal islands and mangroves and savannas. Mamy of the savannas include wetlands and seasonally flooded plains.

Parque Estadual do Utinga – ©Túllio F CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The climate is typical of a tropical rainforest climate with no dry season – all months have mean precipitation values of at least 60 millimetres (2.4 inches). The driest months are usually September and October, although the drier season lasts from July to November, whilst February to April are the wettest. Temperatures throughout Pará are uniformly hot and relatively humid. Maximum temperatures around 34 degrees centigrade with a minimum at 22 degrees.

Rio Tapajós – ©Oregon State University CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Although half of the state is still covered in rainforest, large tracts suffer from illegal deforestation and land occupation, mostly due to cattle ranching and soya farming. The controversial Belo Monte Dam hydroelectric dam complex built on the Xingu River; has impacted the habitat of what was a relatively undisturbed area of Pará’s rainforest as well as indigenous people. Its massive reservoir has inundated 150 square miles of forest.

Birding Pará

Although Pará has no absolute endemic birds several come close with almost all their population within the state, such as Belém Curassow Crax pinima, which is critically endangered and historically found only in the Belém area of endemism, largely located in northeastern Pará; Pará Foliage-Gleaner Automolus paraensis, which is a small forest bird native to the eastern Amazon, heavily centred around Pará’s forests and Snethlage’s Antpitta Hylopezus paraensis, which is an understory specialist found almost exclusively in the eastern Amazonian interfluviums of Pará.

Rio Araci, Santa Bárbara do Pará – ©Samuel N3utr1n0 CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The state also has some sought-after restricted range species such as Golden Parakeet Guaruba guarouba, which is a striking, bright yellow-and-green parrot endemic to Brazilian Amazonia, with its core populations concentrated in Pará between the Tocantins, Xingu, and Tapajós rivers. Then there is the White-crested Guan Penelope pileate, a vulnerable Brazilian endemic featuring a prominent white crest and chestnut underparts, which is restricted to south-central and southeastern Amazonia, largely south of the Amazon River into northern Pará and Maranhão. Eastern Red-necked Araçari Pteroglossus bitorquatus is another, it is a colourful toucan species tied to the Belém area of endemism, stretching across eastern Pará into northern Tocantins and Maranhão. Yet another is the Pará Greenlet Tunchiornis rubrifrons, which is a small canopy inhabitant found south of the Amazon River from the eastern bank of the Rio Madeira across Pará and just into western Maranhão.

With well over a thousand species, Pará is a ‘must visit’ birding destination.

Toco Toucan Ramphastos toco – ©Dubi Shapiro

There are some top localities to choose from depending on your time and accessibility. Rio Azul Jungle Lodge, situated near Novo Progresso, in the Azul River area provides fantastic access to canopy-feeding bald parrots and the crimson topaz among many others so a great base. Just a short distance from Belém, Santa Bárbara do Pará is a preserved forest area that features over 300 bird species and has a local, community-led conservation initiative worth supporting. The Parque Estadual do Utinga is a lush 3,400-acre conservation area right in Belém. Moreover, it has flat, well-maintained walking trails where you see birds like Pale-tailed Barbthroat Threnetes leucurus and Red-necked Aracari teroglossus bitorquatus. Entry is free, and it is open daily except Tuesdays between 6:00 am and 5:00 pm. Carajás National Forest is located in southeastern Pará and has 40 km of roads passing through humid forest and cerrado habitats, hosting an exceptional variety of endemic Amazonian birds. Amazonia National Park is situated along the Tapajós River, and the dense humid tropical forest is famous for rarities such as Harlequin Antbird Rhegmatorhina berlepschi as well as its diverse tanagers and toucans.

Top Sites

  • Floresta Nacional de Carajás

    InformationSatellite View
    This mining town is administered by the Companhia do Vale do Rio Doce (091-327-5322 – Claudete or Thaís, 327-4126 - Venâncio). There is a good hotel and birding is along 40km of road through excellent, varied habitat, from humid forest to cerrado. Permission to bird outside the town limits is required and is obtainable from Ibama, in the town (091-346-1218 – Orlando Maia). The Carajás National Forest covers the Serra dos Carajás (Carajás Mountains), an area with large deposits of iron ore, and attempts to combine the roles of supporting mineral extraction with preserving the environment and maintaining biodiversity.

  • Floresta Nacional de Caxiuanã

    InformationSatellite View
    A reserve owned by the Goeldi Museum in Belém. You fly to Breves from Belém or take a boat (13 hours) and then go by launch (voadeira) to Caxiuanã. Accomodation is said to be comfortable but is expensive. Golden parakeet Guarouba guaruba is said to be a cert. Reservations through the Goeldi Museum in Belém (217-6058, caxiuana@museu-goeldi.br or caxiuana@amazon.com.br)

  • Parque Nacional da Amazônia

    InformationSatellite View
    Get to know the morototó, a tree looking not unlike a cecropia. When fruiting it is a magnet for tanagers, aracaris, cotingas, white-crested guan Penelope pileata, brown-chested barbet Capito brunneipectus and harlequin antbird Rhegmatorhina berlepschiNB Take plenty of bottled water as the Tapajós is polluted by mercury.

  • Pousada Salto do Thaimaçu

    WebsiteSatellite View
    This fishing lodge on the Rio São Benedito is four hours drive on dirt roads from Alta Floresta.

  • Santarém

    Satellite View
    The Floresta Nacional (FLONA) de Tapajós is administered by Ibama for the controlled exploitation of timber. There are two roads into the forest, one at km67 and the other at +/- km80, off the asphalt road south from Santarém. Permission to enter the FLONA is required from IBAMA in Santarém and the LBA, the research organisation studying the area.
Contributors

  • Jeremy Minns

    São Paulo | jeremyminns@uol.com.br

Number of Species

  • Number of bird species: 1085

    (As at August 2026)
Checklist

  • Avibase

    PDF Checklist
    This checklist includes all bird species found in Pará , 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 Checklist
    This 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.
Museums & Universities

  • Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi

    Information
    The Museum was born of idealists who believed in the future of the Amazon and the need to researching its natural resources, flora, fauna, rocks and minerals, indigenous groups, geography and history of the region and organizing scientific collections and public exhibitions to spread the knowledge generated.
Reserves

Abbreviations Key

  • NF Carajás National Forest

    InformationSatellite View
    The Carajás National Forest covers the Serra dos Carajás (Carajás Mountains), an area with large deposits of iron ore, and attempts to combine the roles of supporting mineral extraction with preserving the environment and maintaining biodiversity.

  • NF Floresta Nacional de Caxiuanã

    InformationSatellite View
    Caxiuanã is noted for its rich biodiversity, geographic isolation, and a very low population density. The national forest is the oldest in Amazônia Legal, a region that contains all 9 states in the Amazon Basin, and is also the second oldest national forest in Brazil.

  • NP Parque Nacional da Amazônia

    InformationSatellite View
    It comprises 1,070,737 ha. It is situated in Itaituba and Trairão municipalities. Except for about 2% of more open forest, the whole park consists of dense humid tropical forest. The larger trees reach a height of about 50 m (160 ft), and the light filtering through the canopy is sufficient to produce a biodiverse understorey of vines, lichens, mosses and orchids.
Sightings, News & Forums
Guides & Tour Operators

  • BirdQuest

    Tour Operator
    BRAZIL’S EASTERN AMAZONIA – the Tapajós, the north bank of the Amazon, Belém and Carajás

  • Ornis Birding Expeditions

    Tour Operator
    Newly-designed tour covering four different centres of Amazonian endemism: Rondonia, Tapajos, Xingu, and Belem.

  • Pará Birding Tour

    Local Tour Operator
    Have an amazing experience! We offer the best itineraries for your trip, with pre-set or customized packages.
Trip Reports

  • 2018 [09 September] - Eduardo Patrial

    PDF Report
    A full day spent around the capital Belém. In the morning we visited the nice Gunma Ecological Reserve at Santa Bárbara do Pará. Forest edge and trail in the forest produced a lot of good birds, including plenty of Red-rumped Cacique and Green Oropendola, the amazing Crimson Topaz (male and female), Purple Honeycreeper, Channel-billed and White-throated Toucans, the restricted Willis’s Antbird, Black-necked and Lettered Aracaris, Orange-winged Amazon, Dusky Parrot in flight, a nice couple of Silvered Antbird, White Hawk, Black-tailed Trogon, Guianan Tyrannulet, Yellow-browed Tody-Flycatcher, Grey-chested Greenlet, Grey-breasted Sabrewing, Yellow-green Grosbeak, Southern White-fringed Antwren, a showy Russut-crowned Crake, Grey-crowned Flatbill, Golden-winged Parakeet, Wedge-billed Woodcreeper, Dusky-capped Flycatcher and briefly a Plain-throated Antwren

  • 2019 [09 September] - Petri Hottola

    PDF Report
    Some of the key species recorded at KM71 included a Cryptic Forest-Falcon, a Dark-winged Trumpeter, a White-crested Guan, a pair of Vulturine Parrots, Santarém Parakeets, an Ocellated Nightjar, Red-necked Aracaris, a Spix’s Woodcreeper, a Speckled Spinetail, a Shortbilled Leaftosser, Natterer’s Slaty Antshrikes, Ornate Antwrens, Striated, Spix’s Warbling and Tapajos Scale-backed Antbirds, Black-spotted Bare-eyes, a Striated Ant-thrush, Tapajos, Amazonian and Alta Floresta Antpittas, Blackish Pewees, a Tooth-billed Wren (high up in canopy) and a pair of White-winged Shrike-Tanagers.

  • 2024 [08 August] - Eduardo Patrial

    PDF Report
    ...This time we inaugurated Eastern Amazonia, an incredible journey through the large state of Pará, a rich and threatened region of the Brazilian Amazon...

  • 2024 [12 December] - Bradley Davis

    PDF Report
    ...we could squeeze in a visit to the highly threatened east Amazonian rainforests near Paragominas and Ulianópolis in eastern Pará state to look for Golden Parakeet, a stunning endemic, and a host of other birds of interest, many of them endemic to the Belém centre of Amazonian endemism...

  • 2025 [06 June] - Eduardo Patrial & Luis Morais

    PDF Report
    ...So here begins the chase of the poorly known Scaled Ground Cuckoo. We spent the day in a large forest fragment northeast of Novo Progresso...

  • 2025 [09 September] - Noëlle & Hervé Jacob

    PDF Report
    ...at the Maria Bonita Trail, looking for Snethlage's Antpitta, a perfect sight. Then back to the Black-chested Tyrant spot without success. Valdivino suggests we go to Parauapebas on the Parica Trail near the university. Some Hoatzins on the first lagoon, we found a very responsive pair of Black-chested Tyrants...
Places to Stay

  • Pousada dos Guar

    Accommodation
    If they tell you that paradise is on the Island of Marajó, believe me. And you can still enjoy much more at Pousada dos Guarás. The right place for you and your family to spend unforgettable moments of leisure, adventure and rest.

Fatbirder - linking birders worldwide...

Skip to content