State of Paraíba

Paraíba is one of the twenty-seven states of Brazil; it is located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is bordered by Rio Grande do Norte to the north, Ceará to the west, Pernambuco to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. It’s the third most densely populated state of the North East. And most of the population lives along the Atlantic coast. One of the smaller states; it covers an area of 56,440 km² (21,790 square miles). It is a mostly flat state, with the highest elevations found in the Borborema Plateau in the centre of the state; although the highest peak, Pico do Jabre, is just about 4,000 feet.

The largest of its eleven river basins is the Piuancó-Piranhas-Açu river basin, followed by the Paraíba River basin.

It lies the easternmost point of the Americas, a cape called Ponta do Seixas. Paraíba coast has clear, calm beaches, with a barrier of reefs and natural pools. The beaches within João Pessoa, the largest city (with almost a million inhabitants) and capital, are the best known. The city has a special characteristic: it is the first Brazilian city to see the sunrise in the morning.

Pico do Jabre – ©Rogerio121402 CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

In the interior of the State, another important city is Campina Grande. It is one of the Brazilian capitals of forró; a Brazilian type of music that originated in the northeast of the country, together with Caruaru, and during the month of June it receives more than one million tourists for the festivities.

Paraíba River – ©Geovani.s CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The majority of the state is considered to have a hot semi-arid climate. parts of the state that don’t fall into the other 98% are in the far east and far west and they have a tropical climate. Generally. Paraíba goes through wet and dry seasons, with most of its rain falling in the third of the year, especially in March and April. However, in the east, including the coast, most rainfall occurs from April to June. The hottest period across the state is between October and December, which is also the driest time of year. June to August is the coldest, with temperatures sometimes reaching below twenty degrees centigrade.

Birding Paraíba

There are just three state parks in Paraíba; Marinho da Areia Vermelha, Pedra da Boca and the highest peak, Pico de Jabra and just one wildlife refuge; Vida Silvestre Mata do Buraquinho; although there are some other protected areas; Manguezais da foz do Rio Mamanguape being the most important.

Manguezais da Foz do Rio Mamanguape – ©Peixe Vaca CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Not one of Brazil’s prime birding destinations, yet Paraíba offers some great places to see some of 580+ species recorded in the state; although around 400 are more regularly recorded.

Marinho da Areia Vermelha – ©MTur Destinos, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

At the coast João Pessoa offers coastal wetlands, with mangroves, and Atlantic Forest fragments within easy reach of the capital the capital. REBIO Guaribas (Mamanguape) is a federal biological reserve protecting remnants of coastal tableland forests and is home to many endemic northeast species as well as water associated species. For Semi-arid caatinga habitats featuring dry-land specialties and open-country species try the Sertão & Interior, especially Cabaceiras. The state parks have some woodlands, such as around the Pico de Jabre as well areas of caatinga.

Some sought-after specials found in the state include Silvery-cheeked Antshrike Sakesphoroides cristatus, which is a striking, localised specialty found in the arid scrub and Caatinga regions like Cabaceiras. Pygmy Nightjar Nyctipolus hirundinaceus is a small, well-camouflaged nightjar typical of the northeastern dry interior. Scarlet-throated Tanager Compsothraupis loricata is one of the most eye-catching birds, which is a regional endemic with deep blue-black plumage and a vivid red throat. Plain-bellied Emerald Chrysuronia leucogaster is a brilliant hummingbird frequently spotted in coastal vegetation and near estuaries like the Mamanguape River and Southern White-fringed Antwren Formicivora grisea is an active, vocal, understory bird common in brushy and semi-open woodland areas.