Our bird watching trips consistently surpass 400 species. We just wanted you to taste a small sample of some of the classics, specialties or endemics that you will probably see on a trip with us. Classics are birds identified with a particular habitat or region, often serving as flagship species for those habitats. Specialties are birds restricted and commonly seen in certain habitats or localities. Endemics are birds present only in Peru.

Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin): Classic. The interesting, primitive appearance of an Hoatzin stands out against its typical habitat of swamp and oxbow lake borders. The head is topped with a long, frizzled crest, and the bare ocular area is bright blue, while their eyes are red. They live a sedentary and sluggish life feeding primarily on leaves and shoots that are digested by a ruminant-like stomach. Hatchlings posses a claw on each wing, which allows them to freely climb around the bushes or return from a dive into the water to avoid predators.

Razor Billed Curassow (Crax mitu): Classic. The booming song of the male Curassow quickly gives away its presence as it walks in groups of 4-5 through the vegetation of terra firme forest. Look for its red legs and large red bill. Its large black body is also very easy to spot. Curassows will readily flush to the trees if disturbed, but usually they just walk away in a hurry. Hunted intensively, the presence of this bird is the sign of undisturbed forests.

King Vulture (Sarcoramphus papa): Classic. If you see a large bird soaring gracefully for a sustained period without a single wing flap above the treetops of humid forest, it is very likely to be a King Vulture. With a wingspread of 6.5 feet (198 cm) and a white body with black flight feathers, rump, and tail, the King can easily be differentiated from other soaring vultures. It does like to soar very high, but sometimes it can be seen low enough to appreciate its colorful head of orange, yellow, and purple.

White Throated Toucan (Ramphastos tucanus): Classic. Is that a dog crying in the forest? No, that loud series of high-pitched yelps belongs to a White Throated Toucan. It is often heard, but difficult to be seen from its perch in the canopy of the humid forest. When it is seen, its pure white throat and chest, bright red rump, and large seven inch (178mm) bill of black, yellow, and blue will shine against the green and brown of its emergent-tree perch.

Great Tinamou (Tinamus major): Classic. This shy terrestrial bird of humid and wet forest aims to avoid detection, but it may offer a big surprise when it suddenly flushes with a loud fluttering of wings to a nearby branch. The largest of the tinamous, it is easily camouflaged in the forest's shadows with its back of light to dark olive and underparts of grayish brown. It is easy heard during dawn and dusk when it sings in a haunting tremulous whistle.

Bearded Mountaineer (Oreonympha nobilis): Endemic. To see a Bearded Mountaineer, especially while it feeds, is one of the great pleasures in Peruvian birding. Males are deep purplish blue with white central underparts, a black cap, and a long narrow beard that changes from emerald at the base to purple with a blue tip. The 3.5in (8cm) bronze tail is deeply forked with white outer feathers. While it hovers over a nectar rich flower, its tail constantly opens and closes. Females are similar, although somewhat duller and with a reduced beard.

Aplomado Falcon (Falco femoralis): Classic. This long tailed and streamlined falcon can usually be seen perching in exposed areas, such as on rocks, posts, and atop small trees. It is a skilled hunter, choosing to hunt in pairs. One flushes the prey, which may be an insect, small bird, or bat, while the other uses it fast and agile flight skills to capture the new meal. Its plumage has a faded appearance, while the cere, orbit, and legs are yellow. There is also a conspicuous white eye stripe encircling the crown and prominent black 'sideburns' below the eyes.

Puna Teal (Anas puna): Classic. Feeding on the floating vegetation of open lakes, the Puna Teal is not difficult to find. Its bluish rump may be seen as it feeds upended. Its long blue bill, which ends at a black cap and white cheeks also stands out on the lake's waters and among the floating reeds that it uses for nesting. Males and females look very much alike, only differing in their sides being either densely barred (male) or more buffy (female).

Puna Hawk (Buteo poecilochrous): Classic. The Puna Hawk is a large stocky bird that inhabits mountainous countrysides and grasslands. It may be seen soaring high above mountain ridges and valley with its large, rounded, broad based wings giving occasional shallow stokes. To properly identify the bird is to know it widely variable color phases of light and dark, along with its molt sequence.

Many-colored Rush Tyrant (Tachuris rubrigastra): Classic. The name clearly describes this restless and agile flycatcher that inhabits thick lake or pond reed beds. The sides of its head are dark blue, while its back is greenish blue with a golden hue on the hind-neck. The breast is a golden yellow, the belly buffy yellow, and the rump is red. Its crown, tail, and wings are black, although the outer feathers of the tail are white and the wings have a broad buffy white bar and white on the inner remiges. That's a lot of color.

Royal Cinclodes (Cinclodes aricomae): Specialty. This rare and threatened species is exclusive to the high elevation patches of Polylepis. It has a distinctive long, heavy decurved bill that it uses to rip large pieces of moss from rocks or branches in search of insects or grubs. The body is dark with dirty brown underparts and a rufous band on the wing, while the throat is white and there is a yellow streak above the eye.

Giant Conebill (Oreomanes fraseri): Specialist. The Giant Conebill is also exclusive to Polylepis forest. It feeds by probing under the flaky bark of a Polylepis, often ripping off large flakes to find invertebrates. As it actively clambers over trunks and branches, it may even hang upside down. It has a pleasant song of repeated musical phrases.

Giant Hummingbird (Patagona gigas): Classic. The Giant is the largest hummer in the world. Resembling a swift in flight with its long narrow wings, it flies with erratic wing beats and odd glides. When it hovers to feed on nectar or flying insects, wing strokes are slow and deep giving a bouncy appearance. It is general territorial and aggressive, chasing other birds away when necessary.

Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus): Classic. The Andean Condor is a huge bird that may be seen singly, in pairs, and sometimes even in large groups as it soars effortlessly for hours following canyon walls or above hillsides. Its long rectangular wings spread to almost 10ft (300cm), and when in flight the primaries take on a bent fingerlike appearance. The body is mainly black, except for the large white patches on the upper surface of the wings and it conspicuous collar of white down.

White-tufted Sunbeam (Aglaeactis castelnaudii): Endemic. The White-tufted Sunbeam is a submissive hummingbird that inhabits open shrubby hillsides in semi arid forest and may e seen in Polylepis groves. When it feeds, it clings to flowers to get nectar or hovers for grab flying insects. The body is mainly fuscous, having a darker bronzy sheen above with a magenta reflection on the lower back and rump. Its name comes from the tuft of white feather on the central breast.

Inca Wren (Thryothorus eisenmanni): Endemic. Restricted to Machu Pichu and the immediate vicinity, the Inca Wren was only discovered in the mid 1970s. Its musical song is characteristic of Machu Pichu ruins. It is mainly found at the edge of humid forest where large stands of bamboo are present. Its back, wings, and tail are a cinnamon-rufous, while the breast and belly are streaked black. The crown is gray-black, and the sides of the head are streaked black and white.

Amethyst-throated Sunangel (Heliangelus amethysticollis): Classic. A conspicuous hummingbird, the Sunangel can be found where there is a lot of moss and epiphytes. It perches while feeding and will defend rich sources of nectar. It also hunts for insects while perched and may be associated with mixed feeding flocks. The throat and upper breast are a rosy amethyst, while the rest of the body is dark green above and buff with green disks below. There is a glittering green frontlet and a buff pectoral band.

Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanager (Anisognathus igniventris): Classic. This tanager may be seen alone, in mixed species flocks, in pairs, or in small family groups of 3-8 individuals. Its breast, flanks, upper belly, and ear coverts are orange-red, while the rest of the body is black. It mostly forages at mid forest level, plucking berries from trees and taking some insects.

Parodi's Hemispingus (Hemispingus parodii): Endemic. The deep buff yellow on the throat and upper breast of this tanager stands out among the pale green of its bamboo habitat, where it forages low perch gleaning bamboo internodes and other mixed foliage. It typically travels in groups of 3-10 following mixed feeding flocks. Its head is olive-green with a stout bill and the rest of the body is yellowish-olive.

Red and White Antpitta (Grallaria erythroleuca): Endemic. This bright rufous red bird with a white throat, belly, and central breast is difficult to see without the use of playback. It may be found alone or in pairs in the dense thickets of its humid montane and pre-montane forest, where it prefers a bamboo under story. Although mainly found feeding on the ground, when singing it will hop onto low branches.

Andean Cock of the Rock (Rupicola peruviana): Classic. This polygamous species is fairly common in steep, humid and wet forested ravines, where males during breeding season dance around their leks by bowing, jumping, and flapping their wings. The national bird of Peru, males are unmistakable in bright orange-red, with black wings and tail. The female, being less extravagant in color, is reddish brown with darker brown on the wings and tail. Both male and female display a disklike crest that nearly covers the bill, although in females the crest is smaller.

Highland Motmot (Momotus aequatorialis): Classic. Usually seen alone or in pairs, the Highland Motmot sits quietly at mid forest level, often swinging its tail from side to side. It will quickly fly from its perch to capture insect prey on the ground or other branches. The tail feathers end in the typical motmot fashion of two rackets that are separated from the rest of the tail after wear and much preening. Most of the plumage is light-green grading to cinnamon-rufous below. The crown is turquoise and a black mask covers the eyes and tapers back. The breast contains a central black patch.

Silver-backed Tanager (Tangara viridicollis): Specialty. Male and female plumages differ in this attractive tanager. The back, lesser wing coverts, rump, sides and flanks or the male are dark blue with a silver sheen, while the wings and tail are blue-black. The cap and chin are black and the lower side of the head and throat are dull gold. The female wears a dark golden brown cap and the lower side of the head and throat are a dull gold. The back is bright green with a golden gloss, and the wings, tail, and breast are green. They eat berries and insects while foraging in pairs or in groups of 3-6 as sometimes part of mixed feeding flocks.

Torrent Duck (Merganetta armata): Classic. The Torrent Duck, as its name implies, inhabits clear boulder-strewn streams and rivers with rushing torrents. It can often be seen in pairs or family groups sitting on rocks among rushing rapids, or even swimming up rapid white water. It feeds mainly in calmer eddies. Males have a streaked white, gray, brown, and black body and a white head and neck with black lines. The entire underparts of the female are chestnut, and the cap and hind-neck are grey.

Masked Fruiteater (Pipreola pulchra): Endemic. The Masked Fruiteater is a lethargic bird, sitting still for long periods alone or in pairs in fruiting trees. The sexes differ in plumage, although both have a coral red bill, grey legs, and a yellow-white iris. Males are bright green above, orange on the throat and center of the breast, and the underparts are clear yellow. There is a broad yellow band bordered by black below the throat that arches up onto the sides of the neck. Females are also bright green above, but the underparts are green and narrowly streaked with yellow.