When departing or embarking Guyana (Co-operative Republic of Guyana), I always love to look down from the window of the iron bird, at the endless flora and fauna.
Guyana possesses over 800 varieties of documented birds, and yet there are still many unknown species waiting to be discovered. The capital city Georgetown is uniquely located at the mouth of the Demerara river and the Atlantic Ocean, it posses over 200 species from over three dozen families; Flycatchers, Tanagers, Hummingbirds and many migrating species such as Peregrine Falcons, Warblers, Blood-cored Woodpecker.

The Canje Pheasant is the national bird; this bird is internationally known as the Hoatzin. The Hoatzin is a believed to provide a direct link to the Archaeopteryx; the first known bird. The Hoatzin has a stocky, pear shaped body, reddish-brown feathers streaked white around the shoulders and a pale brown underside. Long tail feathers and an elongated neck flank the plump body.
The Hoatzin’s blood red eyes peer forth from a ring of bright blue k skin set on a tiny head that seems more diminutive due to its unruly crest of long feathers.
The chicks are born with two prehistoric claws protruding from their wings; the same claws are seen in Archaeopteryx fossils. The of the Hoatzin is even more majestic, it seems as if combining a hiss, a howl, and a grunt.
Hoatzin is such a bizarre species that after being shuffled through several bird orders, including the Gruiformes, Galliformes, and the Cuculiformes, researchers eventually put it in its own order: the Opisthocomidae.

Shanklands Rainforest Resort, is located on a majestic cliff overlooking Guyana’s largest river, the Essiquibo river. Shanklands houses is guess in elegant white colonial style gingerbread cottages which are set amidst twenty –five acres of rolling lawns. Each cottage is self contained with en-suite bedrooms and a spacious verandah hung with a hand woven hammock. The cottages are secluded by beautiful grounds and boast private beaches, coves and creeks.
Shanklands provide honeymoon trips, family trips, and most importantly bird watching trips. There are over 300 recorded birds to view including the Amazonian troupial , blackpoll warbler, and not forgetting the Flying- wolf; The Harpy Eagle. This eagle is the largest eagle in the world. With limited distribution world wide and on the endangered list, the Flying wolf can still find abode in Guyana’s wildlife.
Despite the fact that many birds can be easily seen nesting on the grounds of the resort, no trip to Guyana is complete with out visiting Kaietuer fall.
Legend has it that Kai, a selfless Patamona Amerindian chief, sacrificed himself in an effort to appease the Great Spirit Makonaima and save his tribe from the vengeful Caribs; the marvelous act involved Kai paddling over the point where the Potaro River tumbles 741 feet into the gorge below. The beauty of Kaieteur Falls is found in its impressive size and raw natural surroundings. The unusual conditions created by the falls support a fascinating microenvironment and an abundance of bird life. Included are the White-colored Swifts, or Makonaima Birds, which nest under the vast shield of rock hidden behind the curtain of falling water. At sunset thousands of swifts perform an acrobatic display of feeding before disappearing into the mysterious caves behind the falls-a scene beautifully captured in Werner Herzog's Time magazine-award winning documentary The White Diamond. The beautiful but elusive Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock lingers around the waters of Kaieteur Falls too. All trips to Shankland coincide with a trip to this magnificant falls.



Venture into the wild, pristine and little know interior of Guyana for a birdwatchers dream. With over 800 species the country is full of birding opportunities, And to add to all this excitement you will have the opportunity to see the Red Siskin, which was thought nearly extinct in Columbia and Venezuela because of 150 years of trapping for the pet trade with only a few hundred are left in isolated patches. That was until April 2000, when a team from The University of Kansas and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History discovered a population of several thousand, for the first time, in Guyana.

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