Estancia Laguna Amarga is located in an area categorized as the Patagonian steppe or pampa. It is characterized by its very sparse vegetations, it almost looks like a desert. This is due to its low annual precipation, and strong wind, making limited conditions for the vegetations to grow. You will usually only find low plant diversity, and hardy drought-resistant plants like scrubs, grasses and some low trees that are adapted to the harsh environment. It sounds very hostile, but there suddenly is life.

Much wildlife life of these kind of vegetation, like the guanaco, rheas, foxes, and various bird species. Also armadillos and skunks are living here. During autumn, winter and spring, many small lagoons fill up with water, and we are lucky - especially during spring - to see a lot of bird life.

Many of our guests are avid birdwatchers as well, and very interested in knowing which kind of birds you can see here. We have made a list of the birds that habitat the area and do not migrate, and birds that do migrate, and birds that you sometimes see here, but they only pass through, migrating to somewhere else. These birds, not all of them, are common to see, but they have eventually been seen, and we have therefore added them to the list.

Birds that inhabitat the area

Scavengers and birds of prey:

Andean Condor

Chimango carcara

Southern Caracara

White-throated Caracara

Black-Chested Buzzard eagle

American Kerstel

Peregrin Falcon

Aplomado Falcon

Chilean Hawk

Owls:

Short-eared owl

Austral pygmy owl

Lesser-horned owl

Grassland and lagoons:

Chilean Flamingo (can be seen in Amarga Lagoon, and inside the smaller lagoons. They do migrate, but the younger flamingos usually stay during winter because the journey is too long for them).

Upland Goose

Lesser-Rhea

Smaller birds:

Long-tailed meadowlark

Austral Blackbird

Austral thrush

Rufous-collared sparrow

House-wren

Grey-hooded Sierra-Finch

Migratory birds

Some of them only pass through the property, so we only see them very shortly during spring when they are migrating. Most of them can be seen throughout spring and summer before they start to migrate to warmer places, or just regionally.

Ducks and other birds of lagoons

Crested duck

Chiloe Wigeon

Silver teal

Red Shoveler

Speckled teal

Yellow-billed pintail

Brown-hooded gull

Red-gartered Coot

White-tufted Grebe

Silvery Grebe

Great Grebe

Flying Steamer Duck

Grassland birds and Patagonian steppe:

Magellanic Oystercatcher

Black-faced ibis

Southern lapwing

Tawny-throated Dotterel

South American Snipe

Dark-billed cinclodes

Buff-winged Cinclodes

Correndera Pipit

Patagonian mocking bird

Grey-bellied Shrike-tyrant

Cinnamon-bellied Ground-tyrant

Dark-faced Ground-tyrant

Chocolate-vented tyrant

Sharp-billed Canastero

Common Miner

Scale-throated Earthcreeper

Patagonian Tit-Spinetail

Short-billed Miner

White-bridled Finch

Cinereous Harrier

Tawny-throated dotterel

Black-chinned Siskin

Chilean Swallow

Black-winged Ground dove

Yellow-bridled Finch

Plumbeous Sierra Finch

Mourning Sierra Finch

Grass Wren

Many of our guides are avid birdwatchers and know how to identify the birds, so if you are interested in birdwatching, this place has a lot of good options.

On the photo: Short-eared owl

Photo credits and help with the list: Victor Vega