Birdwatching at Mil Cumbres and Sierra del Rosario

Mil Cumbres & Sierra del Rosario in Pinar del Rio province conforms one of the best birdwatching area in Cuba, This is an excellent introduction to Cuban birds. Is highland area of semi-deciduous tropical forest, interspersed with pines, rising to 800m. Two specialities found quite easily here are the near-endemic Olive-capped Warbler and the endemic Cuban Solitaire. The scenery is very beautiful with impressive steep-sided limestone hills ("mogotes") that rise up from the plain. The hills are peppered with caves, home to the Cave Swallow.

Other interesting birds that will be able to observe in these places include: Blue-headed Quail-Dove, Scaly-naped Pigeon, Cuban Tody, Cuban Trogon, Gundlach`s Hawk, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Western Spindalis, Antillean Palm Swift, Cuban Martin, Greater Antillean Grackle, Loggerhead Kingbird, Cuban Bullfinch, Cuban Grassquit and Giant Kingbird.

Rosario Ridge: This UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, in Pinar del Río province west of Havana, boasts great topographic variety, including the country's famous mogotes, 250-million-year-old loaf-shaped limestone mountains. The area is home to an ecosystem with tropical evergreens, pine trees, semi-deciduous forests and cuabales. Crystalline rivers and beautiful waterfalls dot the valley landscape, where visitors will have the opportunity to spot numerous endemic bird species.

Birdwatching Sites in Mil Cumbres and Sierra del Rosario

Mil Cumbres is a protected area encompassing western Cuba's highest peaks, rising to 799 metres above sea level. Located in Pinar del Río province, the reserve comprises a total area of 17,342 hectares. The reserve's exceptionally distinctive forests, as well as its rugged terrain, are home to 135 bird species, including 43 endemic and 42 migratory. Worth mentioning are the bee hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae), the world's smallest bird known to the Cubans as the zunzuncito or pájaro mosca; the Cuban grassquit (Tiaris olivacea); and the negrito (Melopyrrha negra); among many others.

Several they are the trails or places that the observer of birds can choose for his hobby, among them we can mention a "Mil Cumbres", The Terraces, San Juan River and the Birds Paradise.

Mil Cumbres

Located specifically in the vicinity of the Sierra de la Güira. Journey of approximately 5 low Km a leafy forest semideciduo and the pinegrove, where 61 species of birds have been reported among those that stand out the following endemic birds: Cartacuba, Tocororo, Tomeguín of the Pinegrove, Tomeguín of the Earth, the Screamer, the Sparrow hawk Colilargo. Also some subspecieses such as The Black, The Muleteer, The Goatherd, Real Thrush, The Siguapa.

Río San Juan

Departure to the bird-packed zone in the upper portion of the San Juan River valley. A 2-kilometer-long stroll where several natural landscapes can be made out with magnificent views and thick vegetation. The following endemic species can also be found: tocororo, cartacuba, pinewood thrust, woodpecker churroso, green woodpecker and hummingbird.

Las Terrazas

In the area they can be appreciated more than 115 species of birds, having a great representation the migratory birds that take advantage of our tropical climate to achieve their breedings. Here one can observe 50% of the Cuban endemic birds, represented by 11 species that for their plumage, size and melodic song, they make that the search to hear them or to take them pictures, become a true and careful adventure for the interior of the forest.

The path takes to the observer for a wide variety of natural landscapes, with exceptional views and the existence of a dense vegetation where the Tocororo can be observed, national bird with plumage of showy colors, three species of carpenters, the Letter of Cuba that is almost imperceptible for its size; and the Mockingbird that delights with their melodic song from the thickness of the forest.

Bird Paradise Trail

Its beautiful landscape and its high rate of endemic flora and fauna. Serious bird-watchers consider it the place for bird-watching. With more than 50 species, it's not difficult to spot such birds as the Cuban tody, the Cuban trogon, the gray catbird, the Cuban grassquin and Yellow-faced grassqquit, the western stripe-headed tanager, the chillona, the red-legged honeycreper and the nightingale. Moreover, it is possible to observe many flower species and 25 mollusks, including the Viñales snail, which lives only in this area and is Cuba's and the world's oldest.

Sierra Rosario

In this area more than 70 species can be found, among them some of Cuba's most characteristic, including several endemic ones such as the tocororo or Cuban trogon (Priotelus temnurus), Cuban tody (Todus multicolor), nightingale (Myadestes elisabeth), Cuban green woodpecker (Xiphidiopicus percussus), Cuban blackbird (Dives atroviolacea) and many others.