From montane cloud forests and lush tropical habitats, to the limestone karst and sparkling turquoise waters off the coast, the Dominican Republic hosts 32 avian endemics, including Palmchat, the single representative of the family Dulidae. All this equals some fantastic birding!

As one of the most enticing birding destinations in the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic occupies the eastern two-thirds of Hispaniola, the second-largest island in the Greater Antilles.

We’ll focus on the rugged Sierra de Bahoruco National Park, where most of the country’s endemics and specialties can be found.  In the high-elevation forests, we’ll look for Eastern Chat-Tanager, White-fronted Quail-Dove and La Selle Thrush.  In the broadleaf evergreen forests we find Hispaniolan Spindalis, Green-tailed Ground-Tanager and Narrow-billed Tody.  Amongst pine forests we’ll look for Hispaniolan Crossbill, Golden Swallow, and Antillean Siskin.

The expansive Lago Enriquillo basin hosts American Flamingos, and various species of herons, shorebirds, and waterfowl.  Endemic Hispaniolan Palm Crow, White-necked Crow and Broad-billed Tody frequent the arid mesquite scrub that ring the lagoon.

We’ll spend time on the north shore of the island looking for the rare, critically-endangered Ridgway’s Hawk, confined only to the forested foothills of Los Haities National Park.