QUILLACOLLO ROAD, COCHABAMBA & LIST 
BOLIVIA

COCHABAMBA (Compass)

Lat:00o00´S/00o00´W ha topography msl 
Protected/registered status 
Best Time for visit (3rd-4th January, 2006)

 

Birding Site Guide

This is a great place to see some of the dry inter-Andean valley specialties. Take any bus to Quillacollo from Aroma. Get off after you see a statue looking like a chubby Lenin. There are a many minibuses waiting here. Ask which one goes to Liriuni. There are a number of micros and communal taxis going to different points along the road. One strategy is to take any one as far as it goes, then flag down another when it comes past. The order of communities along this road are Ironcollo, Marquina, Bellavista and finally the hotsprings at Liriuni. I would recommend getting a communal taxi as far as Bellavista and walk the rest. From Bellavista walk up the road, which, curves round a bend before continuing up the valley. Wedge-tailed Hillstar has been seen here but I didn't see it. The first stretch is good for Brown-backed Mockingbird, White-winged Black-Tyrant, Rufous-sided Warbling-Finch and Bolivian Blackbird. Continue up and turn right at a fork towards 'Calio'. This road goes down into a valley and crosses a river. After this it continues up past some old buildings and a row of Eucalyptus trees. This was a good spot for Sparkling Violetear and Giant Hummingbird. Further up it enters a larger valley where Grey-bellied Flower-piercer was common down a steep bank. The road finally arrives at Liriuni where Bolivian tourists like to bathe in the luke warm water. Follow the road past here and after a curve to the left, there is a small valley with a stream coming down. Up here is some remnant Polylepis. Scramble up the riverbed to a large Eucalyptus tree. Here I saw Cochabamba Mountain Finch, Rufous-bellied Saltator and Tawny Tit-Spinetail. There are a couple of small stalls in Liriuni with snacks and drinks and taxis wait to take people back down. I saw 47 species including 9 lifers. 


Species seen 

  • American Kestrel Falco sparverius
  • Rock Pigeon Columba livia Introduced species
  • Band-tailed Pigeon Patagioenas fasciata
  • Eared Dove Zenaida auriculata
  • Picui Ground-Dove Columbina picui
  • Bare-faced Ground-Dove Metriopelia ceciliae
  • Gray-hooded Parakeet Psilopsiagon aymara
  • Andean Swift Aeronautes andecolus
  • Green Violet-ear Colibri thalassinus Possibly seen
  • Sparkling Violet-ear Colibri coruscans
  • Giant Hummingbird Patagona gigas Photographed
  • Red-tailed Comet Sappho sparganura
  • Green-barred Woodpecker Colaptes melanochloros
  • Rufous Hornero Furnarius rufus
  • Tawny Tit-Spinetail Leptasthenura yanacensis Photographed
  • Creamy-breasted Canastero Asthenes dorbignyi
  • White-tipped Plantcutter Phytotoma rutila
  • White-crested Elaenia Elaenia albiceps
  • Tufted Tit-Tyrant Anairetes parulus
  • Cliff Flycatcher Hirundinea ferruginea
  • Lesser Shrike-Tyrant Agriornis murina Possibly seen
  • White-winged Black-Tyrant Knipolegus aterrimus Photographed
  • Great Kiskadee Pitangus sulphuratus
  • Blue-and-white Swallow Notiochelidon cyanoleuca Photographed
  • House Wren Troglodytes aedon
  • Brown-backed Mockingbird Mimus dorsalis
  • Chiguanco Thrush Turdus chiguanco Photographed
  • Creamy-bellied Thrush Turdus amaurochalinus
  • Brown-capped Redstart Myioborus brunniceps Photographed
  • Sayaca Tanager Thraupis sayaca
  • Blue-and-yellow Tanager Thraupis bonariensis
  • Band-tailed Sierra-Finch Phrygilus alaudinus
  • Bolivian Warbling-Finch Poospiza boliviana Endemic
  • Rufous-sided Warbling-Finch Poospiza hypochondria
  • Cochabamba Mountain-Finch Poospiza garleppi Endemic Endangered Photographed
  • Ringed Warbling-Finch Poospiza torquata
  • Band-tailed Seedeater Catamenia analis
  • Gray-bellied Flowerpiercer Diglossa carbonaria Endemic
  • Saffron Finch Sicalis flaveola
  • Rufous-collared Sparrow Zonotrichia capensis
  • Golden-billed Saltator Saltator aurantiirostris Photographed
  • Rufous-bellied Saltator Saltator rufiventris Near-threatened
  • Bay-winged Cowbird Molothrus badius
  • Shiny Cowbird Molothrus bonariensis
  • Bolivian Blackbird Agelaioides oreopsar Endemic Photographed
  • Hooded Siskin Carduelis magellanica
  • House Sparrow Passer domesticus Introduced species

 

Other Fauna 

A total of -- species of mammals. 

There are -- recorded species of amphibians and reptiles. 

Flora 

Author: Charles Hesse

 

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