Birdwatching for Conservation
05/20/2026
Nature and Culture Joins Global Big Day
Peru ranked second in the world, with 1,439 species documented in a single day.
Every year on the second Saturday of May, birdsong around the world unites thousands of people for Global Big Day. This is the largest coordinated citizen science birdwatching event across the planet. It’s an opportunity for people to record and submit observations and support conservation worldwide. The Nature and Culture Team in Peru took to the forests to join in. We joined the count alongside biologists, university partners, and bird enthusiasts, documenting birds in two of our protected areas. Our team participated in the Huamantanga Regional Conservation Area in Cajamarca and the Chicuate Chinguelas Private Conservation Area in Piura.
Incredibly, Peru placed second in the number of species recorded. A total of 1,439 bird species were documented in a single day, just behind Colombia, which tallied 1,567.
Birds of Northern Peru
In Huamantanga, an exceptionally biodiverse setting, the team documented many emblematic species. The list includes the black-billed mountain toucan (Andigena nigrirostris), the common pauraque (Nyctidromus albicollis), the speckled hummingbird (Adelomyia melanogenys), and the masked trogon (Trogon personatus). In parallel, Chicuate Chinguelas recorded the black-capped hemispingus (Kleinothraupis atropileus), the lacrimose mountain tanager (Anisognathus lacrymosus), and the blue-backed conebill (Conirostrum sitticolor).
Citizen Science in Action
Observers, residents, specialists, and enthusiasts covered different sections of both areas with binoculars and cameras in hand, attentive to every sound and movement among the trees. Although Piura ranked 11th nationally, the activity generated valuable information about bird species present in the area and strengthened the connection between the community and conservation.
“Every record is an opportunity to appreciate our forests, recognize their importance, and remember that conserving these spaces is essential for the future of our biodiversity,” said Dalí Díaz of Nature and Culture.
Each of the protected areas in which the team participated is part of the broader Andes Amazon Conservation Corridor. This key initiative connects ecologically important landscapes that ensure species conservation across Ecuador and Peru.
Days like Global Big Day are a reminder of why this work matters. Documenting these species reaffirmed the extraordinary biological diversity of the region and underscored the immense value of these forests. Every field outing is an opportunity to be moved, to learn, and to deepen our commitment to protecting nature.
