Iconic bird of Chile

Common Birds of Chile

Chile's 4,300 km length encompasses six major biomes โ€” from Atacama Desert to Magellanic subpolar forest โ€” harboring an extraordinary range of endemic and habitat-specialist species.

500+
Total species
16
Endemics
23
Threatened
Octโ€“Mar
Best months
Spheniscus magellanicus

Isla Magdalena near Punta Arenas hosts 150,000+ breeding pairs โ€” the ferry journey passes the island so closely that the penguins are visible swimming alongside.

Vultur gryphus

Chile's Torres del Paine NP offers the most reliable condor watching in South America โ€” birds soar on updrafts above the granite towers from dawn to midday.

Cygnus melancoryphus

Chile's most elegant waterbird โ€” breeds on lakes in the Lake District and gathers in dense flocks on Chiloรฉ Island's coastal lagoons in winter.

Phoenicopterus chilensis

The most widespread of the three South American flamingos โ€” large flocks gather on the Atacama's high-altitude salt lakes and on sheltered coastal lagoons.

Merganetta armata

Chile's most iconic river bird โ€” pairs hold territories on fast-flowing Andean rivers, riding white-water currents with expert ease.

๐Ÿ“ Andean rivers throughout๐Ÿ—“ Octโ€“Jan
Aphrastura spinicauda

A tiny, exuberant furnariid endemic to Chilean temperate forest โ€” usually encountered in noisy family groups wriggling through Nothofagus bark for insects.

Campephilus magellanicus

South America's largest woodpecker โ€” the crimson-headed male is unmistakable, excavating rectangular holes in ancient Nothofagus trees of Chilean temperate rainforest.

๐Ÿฆ
8. Chimango CaracaraLeast Concern
Milvago chimango

The most abundant raptor in Chile โ€” an opportunistic scavenger and pursuer of small prey that has adapted perfectly to agricultural landscapes and urban parks.

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