As Colombia Grows Safer, Tourists — Especially Bird Lovers — Flock Back
As Colombia Grows Safer, Tourists — Especially Bird Lovers — Flock Back
April 27, 2016·10:45 AM ET
In the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains of Colombia, Marcia Wiley, a glass artist from Seattle, is introducing her 12-year-old son, North, to bird watching.
"OK, just look for something red," she says.
"That's hard to do," North says.
But not for long. "There's a quetzal on that branch," Wiley says, spotting a bird with deep-red breast plumage.
"Oh, I get it!" North exclaims. "Did you see it?"
Ecological diversity makes Colombia a wonderland for birds. Besides the snow-capped Sierra Nevada, which rises up from the Caribbean coast, the country features three Andean mountain ranges, plus Amazon jungle. It's also the South American gateway for birds migrating from North America.
All told, Colombia is home to some 1,900 bird species, more than any other country. They include 147 different types of hummingbirds. Many can be seen at El Dorado, a privately run bird sanctuary in the Sierra Nevada.
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More:
http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/04/27/475716092/as-colombia-grows-safer-tourists-especially-bird-lovers-flock-back
Science:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/122846826
