Highlights of birding photography on the Northern Peru Birding Route

lorena
April 28, 2026

In recent years, services for birding and wildlife photography along the Northern Peru Birding Route have been improving.

Natural scenery

Peru is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, with a high number of species of flora and fauna, a variety of ecosystems and habitats, and, in many parts of the country, facilities for wildlife observation and photography.

In northern Peru, a high concentration and endemism of wild species has been identified, including Marvelous Spatuletail, Long-whiskered Owlet, Scarlet-banded Barbet, San Martin Titi Monkey, Yellow-tailed woolly Monkey, Fantastic Poison Dart Frog, Mimic Poison Dart Frog, Yellow-faced Parakeet, and Buff-bridled Inca-Finch, among other iconic species, as well as the unique landscapes where they live.

In this regard, according to Young et al. (2007), Colan and Alto Mayo regions between the departments of Amazonas and San Martín show a high presence of endemic bird species with very limited distributions; and in the case of amphibians and mammals, high levels of microendemism were also identified in the same departments mentioned above and in La Libertad.

Main key species to photograph

In recent years, birdwatching services in northern Peru have improved, and services for bird and wildlife photography are also being upgraded. In this sense, the main targets for photography are the following:

Hummingbirds of northern Peru

You could photograph approximately 50 species of hummingbirds, including Marvelous Spatuletail, Rufous-crested Coquette, Long-tailed Sylph, Peruvian Racket-tailed, Royal Sunangel, Koepcke’s Hermit, Little Woodstar, and Wire-crested Thorntail, among others.

To facilitate these photography activities, numerous hummingbird gardens have been established in northern Peru, making it easier to observe many of these species and yielding spectacular results, as seen in the photographs below, taken by our team and our traveling photographers.

Representative bird species of northern Peru

In addition to hummingbirds, northern Peru is home to endemic bird species with limited ranges, as well as other bird species of great interest to birdwatchers and photographers. Along this route, there are sites that offer opportunities to observe and photograph several of these species of interest; below, you can see photos taken by our team and our photographer travelers.

Other opportunities to photograph landscapes and wildlife

The same setting offers other opportunities to photograph landscapes and habitats, as well as other wildlife such as primates, mammals, frogs, and other reptiles, as can be seen below in the photos taken by our team and our photography-loving passengers: