Sani Lodge and Canopy Tower Area

eBird Hotspot Links: Sani Lodge, Sani Lodge - - Canopy Tower

Species - 604

Checklists - 4608

Projected Time at Site: Long (>3 hrs.)

About the Area: 

Sani Bird Lodge, nestled deep within the Ecuadorian Amazon near the Napo River, is a community-owned ecolodge that sits at the heart of one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth. The lodge is surrounded by pristine rainforest that bridges the Yasuní National Park to the south and the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve to the north, forming a vital ecological corridor. This unique location allows Sani Lodge to offer access to all six major Amazonian habitats, from terra firme forest and varzea floodplains to oxbow lakes and palm swamps. The lodge’s grounds are alive with over 550 bird species, including rare and endemic finds like the Cocha Antshrike, Rufous Potoo, and Black-necked Red Cotinga. Expert local guides—many from the indigenous Sani Isla community—know the forest intimately, often leading guests to roosting sites of elusive species and sharing deep ecological knowledge passed down through generations.

The surrounding lands are a living museum of Amazonian natural history, shaped by millennia of river dynamics, forest succession, and indigenous stewardship. Wildlife abounds: howler monkeys echo through the canopy, caimans glide through blackwater lagoons, and macaws streak across the sky in bursts of color. The lodge’s canopy tower offers sweeping views of the forest and unforgettable encounters with species like the Harpy Eagle, Blue-and-yellow Macaw, and Great Potoo. Seasonal changes bring dramatic shifts in water levels, influencing animal behavior and plant cycles, and offering visitors a dynamic experience of the rainforest’s rhythms. Sani Lodge is more than a birding destination—it’s a portal into the evolutionary richness and cultural heritage of the Amazon, where conservation and community thrive side by side.

Top Target Species:

Speckled Chachalaca, Pale-vented Pigeon, Gray-fronted Dove, Greater Ani, Smooth-billed Ani, Common Pauraque, Common Potoo, Fork-tailed Palm Swift, Sungrebe, Wattled Jacana, Hoatzin, Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Capped Heron, Striated Heron, Cocoi Heron, Black Vulture, Greater Yellow-headed Vulture, Swallow-tailed Kite, Slender-billed Kite, Slate-colored Hawk, Tropical Screech-Owl, Green-backed Trogon, Ringed Kingfisher, White-necked Puffbird, Black-fronted Nunbird, Gilded Barbet, Lemon-throated Barbet, Many-banded Aracari, Ivory-billed Aracari, White-throated Toucan, Channel-billed Toucan, Yellow-tufted Woodpecker, Crimson-crested Woodpecker, Waved Woodpecker, Cobalt-winged Parakeet, Mealy Amazon, Orange-winged Amazon, Black-headed Parrot, Red-bellied Macaw, Blue-and-yellow Macaw, Chestnut-fronted Macaw, Gray Antbird, Long-billed Woodcreeper, Buff-throated Woodcreeper, Wire-tailed Manakin, Golden-headed Manakin, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Plum-throated Cotinga, Spangled Cotinga, Bare-necked Fruitcrow, Black-tailed Tityra, White-browed Purpletuft, Yellow-browed Tody-Flycatcher, Gray-crowned Flatbill, Slender-footed Tyrannulet, Cinnamon Attila, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Lesser Kiskadee, Great Kiskadee, Social Flycatcher, Gray-capped Flycatcher, Tropical Kingbird, Violaceous Jay, Black-capped Donacobius, White-winged Swallow, Orange-bellied Euphonia, Rufous-bellied Euphonia, Russet-backed Oropendola, Yellow-rumped Cacique, Red-capped Cardinal, Silver-beaked Tanager, Masked Crimson Tanager, Blue-gray Tanager, Palm Tanager, Masked Tanager, Turquoise Tanager, Paradise Tanager, Opal-rumped Tanager, Opal-crowned Tanager, Black-faced Dacnis, Yellow-bellied Dacnis, Blue Dacnis, Purple Honeycreeper and Green Honeycreeper.

Recap and Reflections (How it played out)

(Stay tuned...)