Skip to content
  • GUIDED BIRDING OUTINGS
  • INTL TOURS
    • TOURS HOMEPAGE & INFO
    • COSTA RICA: Northern Caribbean Birding Tour
    • COSTA RICA: Central Sur Birding Tour
    • COSTA RICA: Birding & Photo Tour
    • PERU: Northern Andes Birding Tour
    • DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Endemics & Caribbean Coast
    • ECUADOR: NW Andes + E. Foothills Birding Tour
    • ECUADOR: Amazon Birding Adventure
    • TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: Birding & Photography
    • COLOMBIA: Santa Marta Endemics Birding Tour
    • COLOMBIA: Western & Central Andes Birding Tour
    • BRAZIL: SE Atlantic Forest Tour
    • BRAZIL: Pantanal & Porto Jofre Birding Tour
    • JAMAICA: Endemics Birding Tour
    • Policies
      • REFUND, RETURNS AND CANCELLATION POLICY
      • ASSUMPTION OF RISK, WAIVER AND RELEASE
      • Terms and Conditions
      • Privacy Policy
  • BOOK A TOUR
    • Book / Contact
    • Speaking Engagements & Birding Festivals
    • PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATIONS
  • SHOP
  • ABOUT
    • About BIJS
    • NEWS/BLOG
  • GALLERY
  • Cart
  • GUIDED BIRDING OUTINGS
  • INTL TOURS
    • TOURS HOMEPAGE & INFO
    • COSTA RICA: Northern Caribbean Birding Tour
    • COSTA RICA: Central Sur Birding Tour
    • COSTA RICA: Birding & Photo Tour
    • PERU: Northern Andes Birding Tour
    • DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Endemics & Caribbean Coast
    • ECUADOR: NW Andes + E. Foothills Birding Tour
    • ECUADOR: Amazon Birding Adventure
    • TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: Birding & Photography
    • COLOMBIA: Santa Marta Endemics Birding Tour
    • COLOMBIA: Western & Central Andes Birding Tour
    • BRAZIL: SE Atlantic Forest Tour
    • BRAZIL: Pantanal & Porto Jofre Birding Tour
    • JAMAICA: Endemics Birding Tour
    • Policies
      • REFUND, RETURNS AND CANCELLATION POLICY
      • ASSUMPTION OF RISK, WAIVER AND RELEASE
      • Terms and Conditions
      • Privacy Policy
  • BOOK A TOUR
    • Book / Contact
    • Speaking Engagements & Birding Festivals
    • PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATIONS
  • SHOP
  • ABOUT
    • About BIJS
    • NEWS/BLOG
  • GALLERY
  • Cart

Birding Blog & News

BLOG

Yellow-eared Parrot: Colombia’s Remarkable Conservation Success Story

Read More »
BLOG

Toucan Barbet: The Colorful Chocó Bird Caught Between Barbets and Toucans

Read More »
BLOG

Mountain-Toucans: The High-Andes Giants That Left the Amazon Behind

Read More »
BLOG

Gold-ringed Tanager: Colombia’s Most Coveted Endemic Bird

Read More »
BLOG

Oilbird: The World’s Only Nocturnal Fruit-Eating Bird That Navigates by Echolocation

Read More »
BLOG

Andean Cock-of-the-rock: South America’s Most Spectacular Bird Performance

Read More »
BLOG

Multicolored Tanager: A Must-See Colombia Endemic on Our Colombia Birding Tour

Read More »
BLOG

Trip Report: Trinidad & Tobago: Birding & Photography Tour // April 26 – May 5, 2026

Read More »
BLOG

Trip Report: Colombia – Western & Central Andes – 2025

Read More »
BLOG

Trip Report: Colombia – Santa Marta & Caribbean 2025

Read More »
Page1 Page2
  • ASSUMPTION OF RISK, WAIVER AND RELEASE
  • REFUND, RETURNS AND CANCELLATION POLICY
  • TERMS AND CONDITIONS
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT

Join the Birding Movement

Facebook Youtube Instagram Twitter

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

* indicates required
I want more info on
What's your birding experience?

INSTAGRAM

birdsbybijs

Benny Isaac Jacobs-Schwartz (BIJS)
🌎 International & California Birding Tours
🦜 Expert Guides
🔝 Notch Itineraries
😁 Big fun
📍Los Angeles, CA

💙 BLUE DACNIS — tiny bird, serious acrobat. The m 💙 BLUE DACNIS — tiny bird, serious acrobat.

The male Blue Dacnis (Dacnis cayana) looks almost unreal: electric turquoise-blue with a jet-black throat, back, wings, and tail. Females take a completely different approach, sporting mostly green plumage with a blue crown.

But the coolest part might be how they find food.

🌿 Blue Dacnis spend much of their time high in the canopy, hunting insects directly from leaves. In observations from Trinidad, 69% of insect-hunting occurred on leaves, and when insects were taken from leaves, 70% were grabbed from the upper surface.

They’ll lean, stretch, and even hang upside-down to inspect vegetation. They’ve also been observed paying special attention to brown spots on otherwise green leaves—possibly using signs of leaf damage as clues that an insect is hiding there. 👀🐛

And they’re definitely not strict insectivores.

🍓 Blue Dacnis also eat plenty of fruit, seeds, and occasionally nectar. In one Trinidad study, observations were split almost evenly between birds searching for insects (49%) and taking fruit (44%), with another 7% visiting flowers.

🌎 Their range is huge, stretching from Honduras through Central America and across much of tropical South America to northeastern Argentina. Different populations are divided into multiple subspecies across that enormous range.

So underneath that ridiculous blue plumage is a canopy-dwelling omnivore that spends its day inspecting leaves, dangling from branches, chasing arthropods, and cruising tropical forests for fruit.

Basically: part tanager, part gymnast, part tiny forest detective. 🔎🌿💙

#BlueDacnis #DacnisCayana #birdsbybijs #birding #brazil

BIRDS by BIJS - Brazil: SE Atlantic Forest
Join us next time!

•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•
•
www.birdsbybijs.com
•
BIRDS ↟ TOURS ↟ THREADS
⚫️⚪️ A hummingbird that ditched the jewels for bla ⚫️⚪️ A hummingbird that ditched the jewels for black.

Meet the Black Jacobin (Florisuga fusca), one of the most distinctive hummingbirds of South America’s Atlantic Forest.

While many hummingbirds are famous for shimmering greens, blues, and violets, the Black Jacobin went in a very different direction. Adults are overwhelmingly velvety black, dramatically contrasted by white flanks and white in the tail. Its closest relative, the colorful White-necked Jacobin, gives a hint of just how dramatically this lineage’s plumage has changed.

Its range stretches primarily through eastern Brazil, reaching southeastern Paraguay, northeastern Argentina, and Uruguay. But that range isn’t static. Black Jacobins are seasonal migrants, with some populations moving south during the austral winter. In Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, they’re even known locally as the “winter hummingbird.”

And sometimes they arrive in force.

When flowering trees produce an especially rich pulse of nectar, 40–60 Black Jacobins can congregate at a single food source. They visit everything from native flowering plants and bromeliads to introduced trees such as Eucalyptus and Dombeya. They’ll also snatch insects from the air or glean them from leaves and even spider webs.

Don’t let the tiny package fool you, either. At only about 12–13 cm long and 7–9 grams, the Black Jacobin is considered one of the more territorial and dominant hummingbirds within its range, aggressively competing with both its own species and other hummingbirds for prime nectar sources.

A tiny, black-and-white nectarivore following the flowering seasons up and down eastern South America. 

Black Jacobin | Florisuga fusca

#BlackJacobin #FlorisugaFusca #Hummingbird #Hummingbirds #BirdsOfBrazil AtlanticForest

BIRDS by BIJS - Brazil: SE Atlantic Forest
Join us next time!

•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•
•
www.birdsbybijs.com
•
BIRDS ↟ TOURS ↟ THREADS
😮 We are two days in and already observed over 150 😮 We are two days in and already observed over 150 species on our Brazil: Southeast Atlantic Forest birding tour! 

Let us know which ones would be LIFERS for you! 👇

BIRDS by BIJS - Brazil: SE Atlantic Forest
Join us next time!

•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•
•
www.birdsbybijs.com
•
BIRDS ↟ TOURS ↟ THREADS

#birdsbybijs #birdingbrazil #brazilbirds #mataatlantico #birding

Streamer-tailed Tyrant

White-eared Puffbird

Channel-billed Toucan (Ariel)

Guira Cuckoo

Grassland Sparrow

Swallow-tailed Hummingbird

Rufous-bellied Thrush

Tawny-browed Owl

Join us for our 2027 departures!

PANTANAL & PORTO JOFRE

Brand New for 2027!

DM FOR INFO!
VARIED BUNTING (Passerina versicolor) Few North A VARIED BUNTING (Passerina versicolor)

Few North American songbirds can match the dazzling colors of the Varied Bunting. With its rich blend of violet, crimson, and sapphire-blue, the male is one of the Southwest’s true avian jewels.

Despite its brilliant plumage, this species often melts into dense thornscrub, mesquite, and riparian tangles across southeastern Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and much of Mexico, where it can be surprisingly difficult to spot.

Perhaps its most remarkable adaptation is its reliance on the summer monsoon. Rather than following a fixed breeding schedule, Varied Buntings often wait for seasonal rains before nesting, ensuring food is abundant when their young hatch.

A spectacular reminder that in the Sonoran Desert, life moves to the rhythm of the rain.

📍 Southeastern Arizona

Have you ever been lucky enough to see a Varied Bunting?

#VariedBunting #PasserinaVersicolor #ArizonaBirding #SoutheastArizona #birdsbybijs
Check out our 2027 tours! 🦜World-class birding to Check out our 2027 tours!

🦜World-class birding tours
🏆Top-notch local guides
🗺️Epic Itineraries
🏨 Fantastic lodging and delicious meals
😊Good vibes and lots of fun!

DM for info!

•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•
•
www.birdsbybijs.com
•
BIRDS ↟ TOURS ↟ THREADS
2027 is officially here. 🌎🐦 From the cloud forest 2027 is officially here. 🌎🐦

From the cloud forests of Colombia and Ecuador to the Atlantic Forest and Pantanal of Brazil, the mountains of Peru, the rainforests of Costa Rica, and the islands of Trinidad & Tobago, we’ve built what is easily our most ambitious lineup yet.

13 world-class birding tours.
Thousands of species.
Countless lifers.
Small groups.
Expert local guides.
Unforgettable wildlife experiences.

Whether your dream bird is an Andean Cock-of-the-rock, Oilbird, Harpy Eagle, Long-whiskered Owlet, Toucan Barbet, Scarlet Ibis, Hyacinth Macaw, Jaguar, or one of dozens of spectacular hummingbirds and tanagers—we’ve got an adventure waiting.

If 2027 is the year you finally book that birding trip you’ve always talked about…

This is your sign.

📅 Browse all 13 tours
🔗 Link in bio
📩 DM us with any questions
⚠️ Many departures are intentionally limited to small groups and will sell out.

Where are we birding together in 2027? Let me know in the comments! 🐦

•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•
•
www.birdsbybijs.com
•
BIRDS ↟ TOURS ↟ THREADS
Are you ready for Colombia? DM for all the info o Are you ready for Colombia?

DM for all the info on this endemic loaded tour!

Join us next time!

Colombia: Western & Central Andes

 👉 Feb 9-20, 2027 🇨🇴

Colombia: Santa Marta & Caribbean 

👉 Feb 20-26, 2027 🇨🇴

•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•
•
www.birdsbybijs.com
•
BIRDS ↟ TOURS ↟ THREADS

#birdsbybijs #birdingtour #colombia #sierranevada #santamarta
Ready for a trip of a lifetime!? Join the pros @b Ready for a trip of a lifetime!?

Join the pros @birdsbybijs for a our Colombia: Western & Central Andes Tour

Join us next time!

Colombia: Western & Central Andes

 👉 Feb 9-20, 2027 🇨🇴

Colombia: Santa Marta & Caribbean 

👉 Feb 20-26, 2027 🇨🇴

•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•
•
www.birdsbybijs.com
•
BIRDS ↟ TOURS ↟ THREADS

#birdsbybijs #colombia #birding #andes #birdingtour
Shy, furtive, plump little ball on toothpicks… Th Shy, furtive, plump little ball on toothpicks…

The Antpittas are an amazing group of birds that thanks to developments in bird feeding techniques are now possible to see at feeders!

Our Colombia: Western and Central Andes Tour has a chance to see nearly a dozen Antpitta species!

Join us next time!

Colombia: Western & Central Andes

 👉 Feb 9-20, 2027 🇨🇴

Colombia: Santa Marta & Caribbean 

👉 Feb 20-26, 2027 🇨🇴

•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•
•
www.birdsbybijs.com
•
BIRDS ↟ TOURS ↟ THREADS

#birdsbybijs #birding #antpitta #colombia #andes
Do you recognize any of these birds from Colombia? Do you recognize any of these birds from Colombia?

Our Colombia tours are a good time waiting to happen!

Join us next time!

Colombia: Western & Central Andes

 👉 Feb 9-20, 2027 🇨🇴

Colombia: Santa Marta & Caribbean 

👉 Feb 20-26, 2027 🇨🇴

•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•
•
www.birdsbybijs.com
•
BIRDS ↟ TOURS ↟ THREADS

#birding #colombia #birdingtour #southamerica #endemics
A smathering of color and lifers await you along o A smathering of color and lifers await you along one of Colombia’s legendary birding routes!

The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is an isolated mountain range in the Northern portion of the country, loaded with endemics, incredible sunsets, and lots of photo ops.

Head to our website to learn more about this tour and all of our offerings for 2027!

Join us next time!

Colombia: Western & Central Andes

 👉 Feb 9-20, 2027 🇨🇴

Colombia: Santa Marta & Caribbean 

👉 Feb 20-26, 2027 🇨🇴

•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•
•
www.birdsbybijs.com
•
BIRDS ↟ TOURS ↟ THREADS

#birdsbybijs #birding #colombia #santamarta #southamerica
Did you know Colombia is one of the top birding de Did you know Colombia is one of the top birding destinations in the world? 🇨🇴

That’s because it’s home to 2,000 species of birds, surpassing any country on the planet.

Plus It’s got a whopping 83 endemics! 😳

Check our our epic back-to-back tours for a chance to observe over 600+ species!

Bird with the pros @birdsbybijs 

Join us next time!

Colombia: Western & Central Andes

 👉 Feb 9-20, 2027 🇨🇴

Colombia: Santa Marta & Caribbean 

👉 Feb 20-26, 2027 🇨🇴

•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•
•
www.birdsbybijs.com
•
BIRDS ↟ TOURS ↟ THREADS

#birdsbybijs #birding #colombia #andes #southamerica
Did you know Colombia has over 2,000 species of bi Did you know Colombia has over 2,000 species of birds?

It’s ranked #1 globally!

This Buff-tailed Coronet is one of over 100+ hummingbird species!

Ready to bird Colombia with the pro’s @birdsbybijs ?

Join us next time!

Colombia: Western & Central Andes

 👉 Feb 9-20, 2027 🇨🇴

Colombia: Santa Marta & Caribbean 

👉 Feb 20-26, 2027 🇨🇴

•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•
•
www.birdsbybijs.com
•
BIRDS ↟ TOURS ↟ THREADS

#Colombia #birding #tour #birdsbybijs
Trinidad and Tobago 2026 🇹🇹🌴✨ @birdsbybijs @faraaz Trinidad and Tobago 2026 🇹🇹🌴✨
@birdsbybijs @faraazabdool @venturaaudubonsociety 

Some digiscopes from our recent tour!

•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•
•
www.birdsbybijs.com
•
BIRDS ↟ TOURS ↟ THREADS
•
🇹🇹🇹🇹🇹🇹 You ready to join us Dec 3-13, 2027? •_•_ 🇹🇹🇹🇹🇹🇹

You ready to join us Dec 3-13, 2027?

•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•
•
www.birdsbybijs.com
•
BIRDS ↟ TOURS ↟ THREADS

#birdsbybijs #trinidadandtobago #birdingtour #🇹🇹 #birding
Amazing day to say the least! 🇨🇷 Check out our 20 Amazing day to say the least! 🇨🇷

Check out our 2027 tours today!
•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•
•
www.birdsbybijs.com
•
BIRDS ↟ TOURS ↟ THREADS

#birdsbybijs #rufousventedgroundcuckoo #neomorphusgeoffroyi #neomorphus
🦜Our Brazil 12-day Southeast Atlantic Forest birdi 🦜Our Brazil 12-day Southeast Atlantic Forest birding tour explores one of the richest and most imperiled ecosystems on the planet. 

🇧🇷 Brazil’s Atlantic Forest is famed for its high levels of endemism, spectacular color, and exceptional bird diversity, offering an unforgettable experience for birders seeking both iconic and localized species.

🗺️ Our route has been carefully designed to sample a wide range of Atlantic Forest habitats, from lowland wetlands and bamboo thickets to foothill forests and montane reserves. We visit premier birding locations, including REGUA, Itatiaia National Park, Ubatuba, Macuquinho Lodge, Peruíbe, and Intervales — each known for its outstanding species diversity and excellent access.

🎯 Target Species (just a few!)
Black-and-Gold Cotinga, Saffron Toucanet, Brassy-breasted Tanager, Blond-crested Woodpecker, Gilt-edged Tanager, Red-breasted Toucan, Frilled Coquette, Green-crowned Plovercrest, Green-headed Tanager, Swallow-tailed Manakin, Brown Tinamou, Pavonine Cuckoo, Great Dusky Swift, Saw-billed Hermit, Festive Coquette, Ash-throated Crake, White Woodpecker, Crescent-chested Puffbird, Campo Flicker, Spotted Bamboowren, Squamate Antbird, White-shouldered Fire-eye, Firewood-gatherer, Orange-breasted Thornbird, Curl-crested Jay, Blacksmith Thrush

DM for info! 

Registration closes April 30th!

•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•
•
www.birdsbybijs.com
•
BIRDS ↟ TOURS ↟ THREADS
Golden-browed Chlorophonia nesting in the Costa Ri Golden-browed Chlorophonia nesting in the Costa Rican cloud forest!

Day 1 already off to a great with @birdsbybijs tours!

2027 tour lineup now live! 👇

Book your tour today! 

•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•
•
www.birdsbybijs.com
•
BIRDS ↟ TOURS ↟ THREADS

#birdsbybijs #birdingtour #costarica #goldenbrowedchlorophonia #birding
Jamaica is home to 29 endemic species of birds 🌴🌴🌴 Jamaica is home to 29 endemic species of birds
🌴🌴🌴
Join @birdsbybijs April 1-7, 2027 to see them all!
🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲
Book your tour today! ⬇️

•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•
•
www.birdsbybijs.com
•
BIRDS ↟ TOURS ↟ THREADS

#birdsbybijs #birding #jamaica #endemics #caribbean
Jamaica 2027?? 🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲 April 1-7, 2027 29 endemic Jamaica 2027?? 🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲

April 1-7, 2027 
29 endemics
Good vibes 
Epic fun
Trip of a lifetime!

DM for info!

•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•
•
www.birdsbybijs.com
•
BIRDS ↟ TOURS ↟ THREADS
Que viva Colombia! 🇨🇴 2027 dates 👇 Western & Cen Que viva Colombia! 🇨🇴

2027 dates 👇

Western & Central Andes: Feb 9-20, 2027
Santa Marta & La Guajira: Feb 20-26, 2027

DM for info!

•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•
•
www.birdsbybijs.com
•
BIRDS ↟ TOURS ↟ THREADS
Follow on Instagram

© All rights reserved

Twitter Facebook Dribbble Youtube Pinterest Medium