The cast of
one forest.

Iconic

Leontopithecus rosalia · Mico-leão-dourado

Found nowhere else on Earth but the lowland forests of Rio de Janeiro State. Back from ~200 to thousands — conservation’s golden comeback, and the soul of every Tamaruva journey.

Threatened

Brachyteles hypoxanthus · Muriqui-do-norte

The largest primate in the Americas and one of the rarest — perhaps a thousand remain. A documented population survives around Itatiaia: the species’ only foothold in Rio de Janeiro State.

Rare

Leopardus pardalis · Jaguatirica

The forest’s spotted shadow. Camera traps register her across the corridor; on night walks, her eyeshine — two amber coals in the beam — is a moment guests never forget.

Iconic

Alouatta guariba clamitans · Bugio-ruivo

The loudest land animal on Earth. His dawn roar carries three kilometres and is the forest’s all-clear: where howlers still sing, the forest is still whole.

Iconic

Bradypus variegatus · Preguiça-de-três-dedos

The forest’s philosopher. She lives her life in the canopy at walking pace, algae tinting her coat green — the perfect disguise, and the perfect portrait.

Rare

Tamandua tetradactyla · Tamanduá-mirim

A golden anteater in a black waistcoat, as comfortable in the trees as on the ground. A daylight sighting is luck; a night one, a private audience.

Rare

Puma concolor · Onça-parda

The ghost of the Atlantic Forest — present, camera-trapped, and almost never seen. Knowing she walks the same trails changes the way you walk them.

Iconic

Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris · Capivara

The world’s largest rodent and the wetland’s unbothered mayor. Families graze the marsh edges at dawn, a favourite of photographers and children alike.

Iconic

Ramphastos vitellinus ariel · Tucano-de-bico-preto

The ambassador of the Atlantic Forest — a bill of painted channels in blue and orange, and a fruit-tree schedule our guides know by heart.

Endemic

Ramphastos dicolorus · Tucano-de-bico-verde

The mountain toucan, with a bill of deep jade. An Atlantic Forest endemic, and a regular around the high valleys of our journeys.

Endemic

Pteroglossus bailloni · Araçari-banana

Gold and crimson in a toucan’s elegant middle size. One of Lumiar’s signature birds — recorded in the region’s celebrated 242-species counts.

Endemic

Selenidera maculirostris · Araçari-poca

Smaller, quieter, and on many birders’ most-wanted lists. The male’s spotted bill is unmistakable — if you can find him first.

Endemic

Ramphocelus bresilius · Tiê-sangue

A red so deep it looks artificial — until it moves. Endemic to the Atlantic Forest and gloriously common on our routes.

Endemic

Tangara seledon · Saíra-sete-cores

Seven colours that should not coexist on one bird — the Portuguese name is simply a count. The canopy’s confetti.

Endemic

Trogon surrucura · Surucuá-variado

Crimson belly, emerald back, and the patience to sit still — a trogon is the forest’s gift to photographers who work quietly.

Threatened

Procnias nudicollis · Araponga

A snow-white bird with a voice like a struck anvil — the loudest birdcall in the forest. Hearing him is easy; seeing him is a triumph.

Endemic

Baryphthengus ruficapillus · Juruva-verde

A jade-and-russet jewel that swings its racket-tipped tail like a pendulum. The motmot is the forest interior’s quiet aristocrat.

Rare

Strix huhula · Coruja-preta

A soot-dark owl barred with white, and one of the region’s most coveted night sightings — Lumiar is among the best places in Brazil to look.

Rare

Mesembrinibis cayennensis · Coró-coró

An ibis of deep forest shade, green-glossed and solitary — a bird that rewards those who walk slowly near water.

Iconic

Spizaetus tyrannus · Gavião-pega-macaco

The crowned hunter of the canopy — every monkey watches the sky because of him. Where the great hawks still hunt, the forest beneath is still whole.

Iconic

Nyctibius griseus · Urutau

By day, a broken branch. By night, the most haunting voice in Brazil — a descending wail that folklore filled with ghosts.

Endemic

Pulsatrix koeniswaldiana · Murucututu-de-barriga-amarela

Huge dark eyes and deep, booming calls from the riverside forest — an Atlantic Forest endemic and the night walk’s most wanted owl.

Iconic

Tyto furcata · Suindara

The pale ghost of the open ground — a heart-shaped face drifting over the clearings on silent wings.

Endemic

Lipaugus lanioides · Saudade

An unassuming bird with the most beautiful voice in Itatiaia — a wild, ringing call that the park’s visitors learn to love before they ever see the singer.

Endemic

Lophornis magnificus · Topetinho-vermelho

A hummingbird the size of a bumblebee wearing a fan of coppery plumes — the jewel photographers cross the park for.

Endemic

Aphantochroa cirrochloris · Beija-flor-cinza

Understated in name alone — a steel-grey hummingbird that flashes bronze in the mountain light, endemic to the Atlantic Forest.

Endemic

Scytalopus speluncae · Tapaculo-preto

A wren-sized shadow with an explosive song, creeping through the high thickets like a mouse. Birders chase the voice for years.

Iconic

Trogon chrysochloros · Surucuá-de-barriga-amarela

Lemon-yellow belly, green hood, and a habit of perching at eye level in the mountain forest — the high country’s most obliging portrait subject.