The Ginger Naturalist : Pico De Caledonia

Another of the excursions on offer from REGUA is a visit to the high altitude elfin forest around the summit of the largest peak in the immediate mountain range, The Pico de Caledonia.

Bromeliads growing on the granite rock face.

The peak reaches 2255 meters in height and this harsh environment produces a very stunted or dwarf forest type known as elfin forest.

View from summit of Pico de Caledonia

Summit views

Flora community above the treeline.

This habitat is favoured by many species that have adapted to fill the niche of surviving only in this harsher environment. The birdlife is of particular interest and the star bird of this site is the gray-winged cotinga. The cotinga was only described in the 1980s and it is only known to occur on 4 other mountain peaks, making it very naturally rare. The habitat it favours is not currently threatened, but it can be negatively effected by forest fires and the encroachment of non native flora. A fire 2 years ago on the peak around the treeline was still evident during our visit. The world population is thought to be between 1,000 and 2,500 but due to the inaccessibility of its habitat it is very difficult to survey for. However the species is naturally rare because of the low abundance of its preferred habitat.

Elfin forest at Pico de Caledonia

Gray-winged cotinga

The habitat the cotinga favours is generally between 1650 to 2010 meters of altitude in humid dwarf cloud forest and it usually prefers the most sheltered patches but sometimes occurs on the exposed ridge of the mountain.

There is a tree line at the summit where woody plants can no longer persist on the rock face and sedges, grass tussocks, bromeliads mosses and some flowering plants take over.

Over 2 visits I had great sightings of 4 gray-winged cotinga, 2 black and gold cotinga, Serra do Mar tyrannulet, plovercrest, Brazilian ruby, white-throated hummingbird, diademed tanager, brassy-breasted tanager, white-crested tyrannulet, shear-tailed gray-tyrant, blue-billed black tyrant, velvety black tyrant, pallid spinetail, Itatiaia spinetail, large-tailed antshrike, variable antshrike, rufous-tailed antbird, ochre-faced tody flycatcher, white-tailed hawk and bay-chested warbling finches.