Cuba Endemics Birding Tour

Day 1, Arrival in Havana – 18th November 2024

Arrival time is likely to be in the afternoon at José Marti International Airport, Havana. Here we will meet the guides who will then take you the 2.5 hours to our accommodation; Hotel Los Jazmines in the west of the country. We will have our first dinner together and get a briefing on essential information on how this Cuba birding tour will proceed.

Days 2-3, La Güira National Park – 19-20th November 2024

Our tour starts in the well-forested western highlands, where we have two full days to explore the bird life of La Güira National Park – the expansive park where Che Guevara hid during the Cuban missile crisis. Passing the impressive entrance gate of the Hacienda Cortina Estate which resembles a medieval fortress, and the grounds of the now restored hacienda, we head into a limestone karst valley to do our first birding of the trip.

Arriving in a new country is always exciting and La Güira provides an excellent site for an initial foray into Caribbean bird watching with its mix of karst, moist deciduous and rugged pine forests. While we should encounter large numbers of more widespread species such as comical groups of Smooth-billed Ani, we are here to target some of the regional specialities. Red-legged Thrush, Cuban Pewee, or La Sagra’s Flycatcher may well be one of our first birds of the day, while the bright Cuban Emerald or Cuban Tody are fairly common here, and a male Western Spindalis is not easily forgotten either. The Yellow-headed Warbler is often found picking its way through the foliage, and we have a good chance of finding Cuban Pygmy-Owl perched high up in the trees in the early morning.

However, our main targets are the range-restricted endemic, the Cuban Solitaire which is often found by its beautiful haunting calls, and the near endemic Olive-capped Warbler, a specialist of the pine forests. For those of us who love woodpeckers the real treat here is the possibility of the endemic Cuban Green Woodpecker or Fernandina’s Flicker, the more widespread Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Northern Flicker are always a delight, while West Indian Woodpecker should provide us with another regional speciality.

Day 4, La Güira National Park – Cayo Coco – 21st November 2024

We can do some birding close to our accommodation before breakfast, trying for Cuban Grassquit – a species which is becoming harder to see across much of Cuba, if we didn’t encounter them on the previous day, but the majority of the day is allocated to travel.

We will journey east, passing through the Cuban countryside on our way to the island paradise of Cayo Coco (700 km, 8.5 hrs). Depending on timing, we aim to search some mangroves and wetlands just before arriving to the isle, in hope of encountering Mangrove Cuckoo and Key West Quail-Dove.

Days 5-6, Cayo Coco – 22nd-23rd November 2024

With its white sand beaches and clear calm water, Cayo Coco may be a surprising birding destination, but the extensive tidal lagoons, marshes and mangroves here make this an exciting area, with some specialised endemics found here alongside numerous waterbirds and wintering neotropical migrants. We spend the next two full days birding the cays at a relaxed pace, with accommodation at Hotel Sol Cayo Coco. Our main targets will be the endemic subspecies of Thick-billed Vireo, and Zapata Sparrow, which despite its name is much easier to see here than on the Zapata Peninsula.

The cays are also the stronghold of the Cuban Black Hawk, the only reliable area within Cuba to see the near-endemic Bahama Mockingbird, and here we have a good chance for Key West Quail-dove and West Indian Whistling-duck. We’ll visit the wetlands to see large aggregations of wintering waterbirds, which often includes the largest flock of American Flamingo in the Caribbean, and bird coastal thickets for the subtly beautiful Cuban Gnatcatcher, and search for active flocks of Oriente Warbler or neotropical warblers. This is Cuban birding at its best, one at a relaxed pace with the chance for plenty of regional specialities and the excitement of encountering one of the many migrants which could be lurking among the cays.

Between birding we should have time to relax, explore the area, or snorkel in one of the many diverse reefs just offshore.

Day 7, Cayo Coco – La Belen – 24th November 2024

One final morning exploring the cays, targeting any species we might have missed and continuing our search for migrants, before we drive to the reserve at La Belen, south of Najasa (259 km, 3.5 hrs). The reserve at La Belen is comprised of a mosaic of interesting habitats, of lowland forests, cultivated grasslands and savannahs, and on arrival we’ll start picking up a few of the commoner specialities of the area, such as Cuban Pygmy Owl and the Cuban Crow with its odd mechanical and guttural vocalisations. Here we have two nights at the Finca La Belen ranch, while we explore the reserve and the Sierra del Najasa.

Day 8, La Belen – 25th November 2024

With an early start we’ll focus our attention to a few localised species of this area, searching for Cuban Palm Crow, and declining globally threatened Plain Pigeon and Giant Kingbird, the later now restricted to a handful of sites in Cuba. Birding here will give us a high chance of encountering some of the less common Cuban specialties, such as Cuban Parakeet, Cuban Parrot, Fernandina’s Flicker, and perhaps the hardest of them all, Gundlach’s Hawk. Aside from regional endemics, this area is good for Eastern Meadowlark, while the wetlands are often good for waterfowl, and the open savannah woodlands are excellent for woodpeckers and flycatchers.

Day 9, La Belen – Zapata Swamp – 26th November 2024

Today we transfer to the Zapata Peninsula (465 km, 6 hrs), one of, if not the most avian diverse areas in the Greater Antilles, and probably the whole of the Caribbean, with more than 200 species recorded. We stay at the Hotel Playa Larga for four nights, which is ideally situated in the Bay of Pigs at the entrance to the Zapata Swamp. The birding here is simply amazing, and on arrival we’ll have a short excursion to start our stay off the right way – either visiting one of the local gardens or woodlands to start our quest for quail-doves and the world’s smallest bird, the Bee Hummingbird, or we may opt to bird our hotels grounds which is a regular haunt of the elegant Stygian Owl.

Days 10-12, Zapata Peninsula – 27-29th November 2024

Just the name of Zapata swamp will excite many birders as it is the only known location of the critically endangered Zapata Rail. Quite frankly we will consider it a miracle if we see an individual of this secretive and declining bird but by being in the right area we can dream. The other species that this area is the sole home of is the Zapata Wren, a bird that spends its time in the shrubs and scrubby trees of the swamp, and one that we have a far better chance of locating.

We have three full days to explore the extensive wetlands, woodlands, swamp forests, mangrove, and coastal thickets on the Peninsula. Many of Cuba’s endemic birds are common here and should be relatively easy to find, including a trio of icterids, Cuban Blackbird, Cuban Oriole, Tawny-shouldered Blackbird,and the iconic Great lizard Cuckoo and Cuban Trogon. We’ll spend time visiting some of the dry woodland patches in the area, such as those near the village of Bermejas, as the birding here is amazing, it can be fast and boasts an impressive species list. We’ll keep a keen eye out for noisy mixed flocks which often contain endemic Cuban Vireo, Cuban Bullfinch, and Yellow-headed Warblers, alongside wintering neotropical warblers.

In this area we will also target the two endemic and threatened quail-doves, the subtly beautiful Grey-fronted quail-dove and the spectacular yet considerably rarer, Blue-headed Quail-dove, both of which are satisfyingly numerous here. The odd, monotypic Bare-legged Owl is often seen here, peering out from a roosting site in a dead palm, and we will have another chance for Cuban Parrot or Cuban Parakeet, which favour the open woodlands here.

On at least one morning we’ll make an early start and head into the Zapata swamp itself, searching for Cuban Nightjar en-route. The swamp is the only known location of the critically endangered and highly secretive, Zapata Rail, which hasn’t been seen since the turn of the century. Yet, with an early start and a boat trip, we should position ourselves well to spot the other species which is only found here, the Zapata Wren. While this charismatic wren typically moves low down within dense sawgrass, it often uses scrub and trees as a song perch enabling far better chances of locating. While here we will also target the localised, Red-shouldered Blackbird which are specialised to live year-round in swamp and marsh, and we have another chance of Zapata Sparrow. Here the sparrow is a different, more brightly coloured subspecies than what we look for in the cays to the north. Aside from these endemics, the swamp hosts a large diversity of wetland species and wintering migrants, and we’ll hope to encounter one of the secretive rails which could be found here, such as Spotted Rail, King Rail or Sora.

Away from the swamp, we’ll take time to explore the coastal habitats which, being attractive to many wintering waders and songbirds, are an exciting birding destination. Although we should see world’s smallest bird, the Bee Hummingbird, during our time exploring the woodland and swamp here, these are often fleeting encounters as the bird darts past on the hunt for flower patches. As such, we’ll likely visit some of the gardens in La Playa Larga, where we can get close enough to admire this tiny charismatic species as it enthusiastically darts around gathering nectar. As with any good birding tour to Cuba, the birding on the Zapata will be at a relaxed pace, true to the Caribbean ethos. We will have the early afternoon period to take time to enjoy the hotel and beach, or snorkel from one of the coral reefs a stone’s throw from the hotel, which are some of the most diverse in the whole of the Caribbean.

On the evening of the 29th we will have our last dinner together on this birding tour. We can enjoy reflecting on a successful tour and we will vote on “bird of the trip”.

Day 13, Playa Larga – Havana Airport – 30th November 2024

Breakfast at the hotel and we can do some final Cuban birding in the coastal wetlands and woodlands close to the hotel before driving back to Havana in time for our return flights. If you would like a hotel for the night for a flight the next day, let us know and we can help arrange that for you.

Note: If you should wish to spend some time either before the birding tour begins or after visiting the World Heritage Site of Old Havana, please let us know so that the right arrangements can be made for pick up or drop off.