Locations

Ubatuba, São Paulo, Brazil – Profile for Birders

February 28, 2026 by Editor No Comments

Highlights

This is a very touristic city located north of São Paulo State. 80% of its territory is covered by pristine Atlantic Rainforest. There are 102 beaches on 90 kilometres of coast! The astonishing forest found there is protected by Serra do Mar State Park. The hills or “Serra” plus the beaches are truly breathtaking. 

A perfect destination for bird watchers and nature lovers. On eBird, Ubatuba has an impressive bird list of more than 500 species! The lowlands will offer a variety of birds. But you can also go up the hills around 800 meters of altitude to find another variety of species. Literally, there are birds everywhere.

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Photo: René Santos

Key Bird Species and Families

  • Buff-throated Purpletuft
  • Brazilian Tanager
  • Fork-tailed Pygmy-tyrant
  • White-necked Hawk
  • Saw-billed Hermit
  • Festive Coquette
  • Spot-billed Toucanet
  • Ferruginous Antbird
  • Black-cheeked Gnateater
  • Chestnut-bellied Euphonia
  • Tufted Antshrike
  • Spot-breasted Antvireo
  • Salvadori’s Antwren

Buff-throated Purpletuft (Photo: Marco Cruz)

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Best Regions for Birding

Ubatuba is quite big and has lots of trails and roads.

  • Any dirt road can be really great for birds like Blond-crested Woodpecker, Flame-crested Tanager, Green-headed Tanager, Red-necked Tanager, Masked Water-tyrant, and several others.
  • Heading South there is the “Folha Seca” hotspot, the most famous place in Ubatuba for bird watching and bird photography. This is a private house of Mr. Jonas, his porch has several hummingbird feeders and also fruit feeders. Anyone can visit his place. Saw-billed Hermits and Festive Coquettes are there every day. The access road to his house can render good birds like White-necked Hawk and Blue Manakin. There is no charge for the visit.
  • Heading North you can find “Ninho da Cambacica”, a small lodge specialized in bird watching and bird photography. They have only 3 rooms and super busy bird feeders. They offer day use with lunch. The food is homemade and very good. In September and October, the very sought-after Frilled Coquette comes to the feeders. The access road can be good as well.
  • Also up North, there is the “Casa da Farinha road”. This is a dirt road that can be very productive. Best place to look for the Purpletuft and the Fork-tailed Pygmy-tyrant. On good days, the morning list surpasses 90 species!
  • “Picinguaba” is one of the Serra do Mar State Park bases, also located North of the city. This place is covered by beautiful restinga habitat and the most beautiful beach called “Praia da Fazenda”. Birds on the Restinga are White-bearded Manakin, Long-billed Gnatwren, Eye-ringed Tody-tyrant, and Yellow-throated Woodpecker, among a few others. On the beach, look for Magnificent Frigatebirds, Kelp Gulls, and Brown Booby. In September and October, waders come from the North.
  • Higher on the “Serra”, you can find another of the park’s bases, “Santa Virginia”. This place has many trails and a huge diversity of birds, such as Black-and-white Hawk-eagle, Slaty-breasted Wood-rail, Pin-tailed Manakin, Azure-shouldered Tanager, Temminck’s Seedeater, Green-crowned Plovercrest, Swallow-tailed Cotinga, Bare-throated Bellbird, and many others.

Brazilian Tanager (Photo: Leonardo Casadei)

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Best Birding Season

From May to September is the best time of the year. July, August, and September are really awesome months to visit. From October to March it will rain a lot.

Festive Coquette (Photo: Daniel Mello)

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Birding Trip Suggestion(s)

To visit Folha Seca, you don’t need to call or make reservations. When Mr. Jonas leaves the place, his employee will stay there attending to birds and birders. For Ninho da Cambacica, you must call and make reservations in advance. 

To visit the trails of Serra do Mar State Park, you will need to make reservations and also hire a local guide.

There are hundreds of lodges in Ubatuba. I recommend Ubatuba Palace Hotel, as they are used to birders and have all the meals on site. And this hotel is located downtown, making it easier to visit the South or the North parts of Ubatuba.

Saw-billed Hermit (Photo: Sergio Greggorio)

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Practical Tips

As a very touristic city, you should avoid Ubatuba during the vacation months in Brazil, January and July. July is winter, so it might not be so crowded, but December and January are really bad months for birding, and the place gets really crowded. Also, avoid any of the Brazilian holidays. 

On the coast, the temperatures are always higher, so it is advisable to start early. Ubatuba Palace Hotel offers early breakfast for birders (as early as 5 am). For trails, don’t forget to always wear long pants, closed shoes, and hats. I also recommend bringing insect repellent, a bottle of water, a rain jacket, and/or a small umbrella, as afternoons can be easily rainy. In the mountains, it can be foggy very early in the morning, so you can start around 7 am.

Red-necked Tanager (Photo: Leonardo Casadei)

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Books

White-necked Hawk (photo: Justiniano Magnago)

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Links

By René Santos

René Santos is a bird guide based in SaoPaolo, Brazil. René can be reached at renearara@gmail.com and has been profiled in our series on global bird guides. He is also present on YouTube.