What is your favorite bird species?
It is hard to choose just one species when you live in a country with around 2,000 bird species, but there is one that truly represents our diversity and multicultural identity: the Multicolored Tanager (Chlorochrysa nitidissima). This small endemic of the Colombian Andes symbolizes the beauty, fragility, and cultural richness we want to share with the world.
What is your name, and where do you live?
We are Niky Carrera Levy & Mauricio Ossa Aristizábal, and we live in the heart of Colombia, in a region known as the Coffee Region (Eje Cafetero). It is located at the center of what is called the Golden Triangle, formed by Colombia’s three most important cities — Bogotá, Medellín, and Cali — right in the middle of the majestic Andes mountains.
What are the main regions or locations you cover as a bird guide?
We guide throughout all of Colombia, an immense and diverse country that we divide into five main regions, each with its own magic:
- In the Caribbean, birds share landscapes ranging from turquoise beaches to deserts and ancient cultures.
- In the Andes, the highest concentration of endemics is found among traditional towns and cloud forests.
- In the Pacific, the world’s most biodiverse rainforest is a stage where birds and whales coexist.
- In the Orinoco, endless savannas come alive with birds that blend into the horizon.
- And in the Amazon, the great green heart of the planet, we encounter a sanctuary of cultures and unique species.
Our experiences are always personalized: we start with the birds each guest dreams of seeing and combine them with the landscape, gastronomy, and culture of every region — making each journey truly magical.
How long have you been a bird guide?
We started guiding in 2022, after completing the Big Year Colombia in 2021 — a journey in which we traveled across the entire country in 365 days and recorded 1,471 species. That adventure changed our lives and inspired us to create Birds Colombia Experience, through which we have been guiding for more than 3 years, designing personalized trips that integrate birds, culture, and conservation all across Colombia.
Masked Flowerpiercer
How did you get into bird guiding?
Our connection with birds began in 2015 through photography. Birds brought us together as a couple and sparked in us the need to communicate their importance and beauty. As advertising professionals, we saw in birds the perfect bridge to tell stories and connect people with nature.
The turning point came in 2021, when we traveled throughout the entire country during the Big Year Colombia. That adventure not only transformed us but also allowed us to expand our knowledge and prepare to take the step into professional guiding in 2022. Since then, we have welcomed international visitors who are looking for more than just a species list: a holistic experience that combines birding with landscapes, gastronomy, culture, and conservation.
Yellow-eared Parrot
What are the aspects of being a bird guide that you like best? Which aspects do you dislike most?
What we like best is witnessing how birds transform people. Every time a guest sees their dream bird, we feel the same excitement as if it were our first time. We also enjoy sharing not only birds, but also the culture, gastronomy, and landscapes that make Colombia unique. Being hosts allows us to show that bird tourism is not just tourism, but a way to conserve, educate, and create opportunities in local communities.
What we dislike most is facing the reality of habitat loss and the threats to the species we love to show. It is painful to see how deforestation or a lack of awareness endangers biodiversity. However, it also reminds us that our work as guides must always go hand in hand with education and conservation.
Shining Sunbeam
What are the top 5–10 birds in your region that are the most interesting for visiting birders?
Colombia is the country with the highest bird diversity in the world, and choosing only a few species is nearly impossible. That is why we prefer to showcase one representative from 10 different bird families, together reflecting the variety and magic of our avifauna:
- Hummingbirds – Buffy Helmetcrest (Oxypogon stuebelii).
- Woodpeckers – Speckle-faced Piculet (Picumnus granadensis).
- Toucans – Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan (Andigena hypoglauca).
- Tanagers – Multicolored Tanager (Chlorochrysa nitidissima).
- Parrots – Yellow-eared Parrot (Ognorhynchus icterotis).
- Antpittas – Crescent-faced Antpitta (Grallaricula lineifrons).
- Cotingas – Andean Cock-of-the-rock (Rupicola peruvianus).
- Raptors – Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja).
- Ducks – Torrent Duck (Merganetta armata).
- Quetzals – Crested Quetzal (Pharomachrus antisianus).
Each of these birds represents a different family and, at the same time, a unique Colombian ecosystem — from páramos and cloud forests to tropical jungles and Andean rivers.
Andean Cock-of-the-Rock
Can you outline at least one typical birdwatching trip in your area?
Rather than a “typical” trip, we like to describe what we consider the best bird photography journey in Colombia: a route that crosses all three Andean mountain ranges — Western, Central, and Eastern.
During our experience, guests travel through cloud forests, high páramos, canyons, and inter-Andean valleys. The itinerary combines the highlights of each cordillera, offering an impressive diversity of landscapes and birdlife.
This journey is not only about birds: it also weaves in photography, culture, coffee, and local gastronomy, making each day a magical and deeply connected experience with Colombia.
Toucan Barbet
What other suggestions can you give to birders interested in your area?
Rather than offering a checklist of what to pack, our main suggestion is to look for experiences that go beyond a species list. In Colombia, every trip we design combines birds with landscapes, culture, gastronomy, and photography.
We believe the difference lies in being hosts rather than just guides: we welcome our guests as if they were part of our family, sharing not only birds but also stories, music, and local flavors. This makes each journey something far deeper than just a birding outing — it becomes a truly transformative experience.
Black-billed Mountain-toucan
If any readers of 10,000 Birds are interested in birding with you, how can they best contact you?
You can reach us through our website www.birdscolombiaexperience.com or by email at info@birdscolombia.com.
We are also active on social media, where we share our fieldwork and daily birding life in Colombia:
Instagram: @mauroossa & @nikycarreralevy
Social Media: @BirdsColombiaExperience
Lettered Aracari
Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers of 10,000 Birds?
Yes. Every tour we lead does not end with us, but becomes an opportunity to plant a future. Through our program Guardián de las Aves, part of our work is dedicated to inspiring children and young people across Colombia. So far, our project has reached more than 1,200 children, delivered 70 birding kits, organized 3 free expeditions, and hosted 3 BirdCamps to help shape the next generation of nature guardians.
We believe that every bird we share with a visitor also inspires a Colombian child to become a guardian of nature. For us, guiding is not just about showing birds — it is about creating paths of conservation and hope for the next generations.
We believe that a birding trip should not just be a tour, but a holistic experience that connects every visitor to the essence of our country. For us, birds are the gateway to discovering Colombia’s true magic: its natural wealth, with around 2,000 bird species — the country with the highest diversity of birds, butterflies, and orchids in the world; its multicultural identity, expressed through music, local gastronomy, and traditions; and its communities, which today are working to conserve their territories.
More than guides, we see ourselves as hosts of a territory. We invite every traveler to experience Colombia not only through the birds they observe, but also through the stories, landscapes, and flavors that make this country unique. Each journey is designed in a personalized way so that, beyond fulfilling birding and photography dreams, it creates an authentic and transformative connection with Colombian nature and culture.
Hoatzin
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