Day 10 - Chapada Diamantina and surrounding areas - 12Feb2026

From our base in Lençóis, we were able to set out early and head up a truly beautiful trail into Chapada Diamantina, which is the Diamond Plateau in Portuguese.  The name is based on the fact that this area was and still is mined for diamonds.  The habitat is high elevation Caatinga or Cerrado. Even without a bunch of endemic birds, I would have loved this hike.

Gretchen and I posing for a selfie.

White-bellied Seedeater

Hooded Siskin

Small-headed Elaenia - a southeastern South American species.

Plain-crested Elaenia - this one is found in the northern half of South America.  We were in the southern area of its range.

Sincora Antwren!  An endemic with a very small range, see below.  It has a status of Vulnerable per IUCN criteria.

The female Sincora. 

Pale-throated Pampa-Finch - Another Brazilian endemic!

Rufous-winged Antshrike

Sincora Antwren

Hooded Visorbearer!  This was the star of the show.  He gave us a hard time trying to find him let alone photograph him.  Its range is only slightly larger than the Antwren's and it has a Near Threatened status per the IUCN criteria.  

Stripe-tailed Yellow-Finch - female

Scissor-tailed Nighjar!!  Although widespread, it was nice to find one day-roosting.

Plumbeous Seedeater

Lesser Elaenia

Yellow-bellied Seedeater

Hooded Siskin

We went back to Lancois for lunch and some down time which I spent trying to photograph swallows and swifts in the rain.

Blue-and-white Swallow

Fork-tailed Palm Swift

In the afternoon we headed up a different slope near town with intermittent rain coming down.  This was a fairly heavily trafficked forrest road with what I could say was degraded forest.  

Helmeted Manakin

White-bearded Manakin

Streaked Xenops

Surucua Trogon - not endemic as it does cross into neighboring countries, but a southeastern South American speciality.  This is the female.  The funny thing is it was eating the same katydid type insect that is in the Merlin App picture!

Later we had the male!

Blue-backed Manakin!

Flavescent Warbler

Gray-headed Elaenia!  Not endemic but another bird only found in southeastern South America.

We emerged from the forrest and checked an overlook only to find a cloud of swifts very high up.

Biscutate Swifts - identified by their calls.  Probably mixed in with other species but our guide only heard Biscutate calls.

Versicolored Emerald

Pearly-vented Tody-Tyrant

Glittering-bellied Emerald

Our final stop was to try for some crepuscular birds.  

Short-tailed Nighthawk!  This big boy came in and strafed us several times while blasting us with its otherworldly call. A most satisfying way to end an already wonderful day in Brazil.