As one flies over the largely uninhabited, mountainous terrain from Puerto Ayacucho to Junglaven one is impressed by the sensation of visiting one of the world's last unexplored birding destinations. Indeed, this is part of the planet's largest tropical wilderness area and Junglaven is one of those few places where the ornithologist feels that great discoveries are still waiting to be made at any moment.

Situated on a tributary of the Río Ventuari in the Upper Orinoco , Junglaven began as a fishing lodge in the early 1980s and birders did not discover it until 1990. Since then, over 400 species have been recorded, even though the prolonged dry season makes this a relatively species poor area in comparison with other sites in Orinoquia-Amazonia.

However, the attraction of Junglaven is not so much its diversity as the relative ease with which its specialist species can be seen. This is one of the best localities to find the so called Imerí endemics like Grey-legged Tinamou, Tawny-tufted Toucanet, Cherrie's Antwren, Yellow-crowned Manakin and Brown-headed Greenlet. Junglaven's terra firme forest provides your best chance anywhere to track down the elusive Rufous-winged Ground-Cuckoo. Other birds that have been hunted out elsewhere, like Grey-winged Trumpeters and Black Curassows, can be seen along the road. The enormous extension of primary forest remaining in this area also provides habitat for large eagles like Crested and Harpy as well as the smaller Black-and-white, Black and Ornate Hawk-Eagles. Smaller forest inhabitants include Rusty-breasted Nunlet, Furnariids and antbirds such as Rufous-bellied Antwren, Dot-backed Antbird and Spot-backed Antwren, the latter usually in várzea forest. And like any Neotropical lowland forest there are tinamous , trogons, jacamars, parrots and so on.

Boat trips on the "Big Lagoon" are usually rewarded with Zigzag Herons as well as Agamis , Sunbitterns and a host of other water birds including Green-and-Rufous and American Pygmy Kingfishers and Amazonian Black-Tyrants . Crestless Curassows are often drawn to the water at dusk and this is one of the easiest places to see them. Rivers are good places for cotingas such as Pompadour and Spangled and their larger cousins the Bare-necked Fruitcrow and Amazonian Umbrellabird .

Savanna forest mosaic holds Brown-banded and Spotted Puffbirds, Green-tailed Goldenthroat, Pale-bellied Mourner (still the only site in Venezuela for this species), Rufous-crested Elaenia and groups of Orange-cheeked Parrot and other psittacids , while Moriche Orioles inhabitat the palm swamps. Night trips will usually produce Rufous Nightjar, Tawny-bellied Screech-Owl , Crested and Spectacled Owl as well as commoner species. The relatively poorly known Long-tailed Potoo has been seen regularly too.

Junglaven accommodation is typical basic Amazonian standard with a generator at night and basic - but good - food. Visits are generally limited to the dry season as high water levels close access to some parts of the property. Access is by commercial flight to Puerto Ayacucho and light plane to Junglaven Camp.

Contact Chris Sharpe for further information and bookings.

Specialities and endemics

Grey-legged Tinamou S
Zigzag Heron

Agami Heron

Harpy Eagle

Crested Eagle

Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle

Blue-throated Piping-Guan

Crestless Curassow

Grey-winged Trumpeter

Giant Snipe

Rufous-winged Ground-Cuckoo S

Long-tailed Potoo

Rufous Nightjar

Festive Coquette

Black-bellied Thorntail

Racquet-tailed Coquette

Green-tailed Goldenthroat

White-chested Emerald S

Brown-banded Puffbird

Spotted Puffbird

Rusty-breasted Nunlet

Tawny-tufted Toucanet

Ivory-billed Araçari

Cinnamon-rumped Foliage-gleaner

Cherrie's Antwren S

Rufous-bellied Antwren

Spot-backed Antwren

Dot-backed Antbird

Rufous-crowned Elaenia

Cinnamon-crested Spadebill

Pale-bellied Mourner

White-browed Purpletuft

Spangled Cotinga

Pompadour Cotinga

Amazonian Umbrellabird

Bare-necked Fruitcrow

Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock

White-bellied Dacnis

Full bird checklist

Prum , R.O. and J.D. Kaplan. n.d. Preliminary Checklist to the Birds of Campament [STET] Camani , Terr . Amazonas , Venezuela . 2 pp. The first available checklist to the area ( Camani Camp adjoins Junglaven and utilises the same areas for birding). 268 species are included together with an indication of abundance and habitat preference.

Sargeant , D.E. 1995. The Birds of Junglaven , Venezuela . 2 nd edition: November 1995. 37 pp. A very informative annotated list that constitutes the most useful companion to the birds of Junglaven . Abundance and habitat preference are given together with details of the sightings of rarer species (note that many species are much commoner than suggested). 410 species are included here, though because records were not critically examined several are doubtful or require verification.

Zimmer, K.J. and S.L. Hilty. 1997. Avifauna of a locality in the Upper Orinoco drainage of Amazonas , Venezuela . Pp. 865-885 in Remsen, J.V., Jr , ed. Studies in Neotropical Ornithology Honoring Ted Parker . American Ornithologists' Union , Washington D.C. , USA . An excellent introduction with information on some of the specialities, much of which is unavailable elsewhere. 398 species are included, but some obvious species have been omitted. Unlike the previous lists, no data is given for the majority of species.