Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park

National Park · Brazil

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Photo © MTur Destinos

Photo © MTur Destinos — CC0 1.0 — Source: Wikimedia Commons

Where granite plateaus rise above the cerrado savanna in central Brazil, Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park unfolds across 6,665 square kilometres of some of the world's oldest geological formations. These ancient tablelands, sculpted by millennia of erosion into dramatic gorges and cascading waterfalls, harbour a landscape that defies easy categorisation. The park encompasses a mosaic of habitats—from the wind-swept grasslands and shrublands typical of the Brazilian highlands to pockets of gallery forest sheltering permanent water courses. The thin soils and seasonal fire regimes have shaped a resilient flora of twisted shrubs and fire-adapted grasses, while rocky outcrops provide refuge for species found nowhere else. Birds of prey hunt the open slopes; woodland songbirds and small forest mammals inhabit the denser patches; and amphibians thrive in the park's countless spring-fed pools and streams. This ecological crossroads, where cerrado meets montane forest, creates conditions for extraordinary biological richness despite its apparent austerity.

For wildlife photographers and birders, the park's appeal lies not only in its biodiversity but in the sheer drama of the setting. The high-altitude location and low light pollution create exceptional conditions for photography from dawn until dusk, while seasonal patterns of water availability and plant phenology concentrate wildlife at predictable locations. The dry season, from May through September, offers the clearest skies and easiest hiking, though the wet months bring renewed bird activity and lush flowering. Access via the town of Alto Paraíso de Goiás provides comfortable facilities, while established trails range from gentle walks to demanding ridge hikes, allowing visitors of varying abilities to explore the park's varied ecosystems. The combination of geological grandeur, reliable sightings of multiple wildlife groups across different habitat types, and reliable seasonal rhythms makes this central Brazilian destination an essential stop for travellers seeking landscapes where human presence feels genuinely peripheral.

Website icmbio.gov.br

Ramphastos toco

Blue-and-yellow Macaw

Sicalis flaveola

Chalk-browed Mockingbird

Mimus saturninus

Pale-breasted Thrush

Turdus leucomelas

White-lined Tanager

Tachyphonus rufus

Rufous-collared Sparrow

Zonotrichia capensis

Peach-fronted Parakeet

Eupsittula aurea

Curl-crested Jay

Cyanocorax cristatellus

Rusty-margined Guan

Penelope superciliaris

Red-shouldered Macaw

Diopsittaca nobilis

Chestnut-eared Aracari

Pteroglossus castanotis

Crested Caracara

Caracara plancus

Thraupis sayaca

Furnarius rufus

Pitangus sulphuratus

Yellow-faced Parrot

Alipiopsitta xanthops

Thraupis palmarum

Rupornis magnirostris

Athene cunicularia

Bare-faced Curassow

Crax fasciolata

Swallow-tailed Hummingbird

Eupetomena macroura

Cliff Flycatcher

Hirundinea ferruginea

Wedge-tailed Grass Finch

Emberizoides herbicola

Hemithraupis guira

Rufous-bellied Thrush

Turdus rufiventris

Coragyps atratus

Turquoise-fronted Amazon

Amazona aestiva

Molothrus bonariensis

Southern Lapwing

Vanellus chilensis

Rufous-capped Motmot

Baryphthengus ruficapillus

Brachygalba lugubris

Ochre-backed Woodpecker

Celeus ochraceus

Pale-bellied Tyrant-Manakin

Neopelma pallescens

Southern House Wren

Troglodytes musculus

Passer domesticus

Ruddy Ground Dove

Columbina talpacoti

Tachybaptus dominicus

Amazonian Motmot

Channel-billed Toucan

Ramphastos vitellinus

White-wedged Piculet

Picumnus albosquamatus

Geositta poeciloptera

Planalto Tyrannulet

Phyllomyias fasciatus

Bran-colored Flycatcher

Myiophobus fasciatus

Ochre-lored Flatbill

Tolmomyias flaviventris

Rufous-tailed Jacamar

Galbula ruficauda

Colaptes campestris

White-naped Jay

Cyanocorax cyanopogon

Coereba flaveola

Columbina squammata

White-eared Puffbird

Nystalus chacuru

Black-fronted Nunbird

Monasa nigrifrons

Narrow-billed Woodcreeper

Lepidocolaptes angustirostris

Yellow-chevroned Parakeet

Brotogeris chiriri

Buff-throated Saltator

Saltator maximus

Tropical Screech Owl

Megascops choliba

Crimson-crested Woodpecker

Campephilus melanoleucos

Southern Beardless Tyrannulet

Camptostoma obsoletum

Black-capped Antwren

Herpsilochmus atricapillus

White-tipped Dove

Leptotila verreauxi

Crested Oropendola

Psarocolius decumanus

Golden-crowned Warbler

Basileuterus culicivorus

Grey Pileated Finch

Coryphospingus pileatus

Small-billed Tinamou

Crypturellus parvirostris

White Woodpecker

Melanerpes candidus

Rusty-margined Flycatcher

Myiozetetes cayanensis

Masked Gnatcatcher

Polioptila dumicola

Lineated Woodpecker

Dryocopus lineatus

Trogon surrucura

Pale-vented Pigeon

Patagioenas cayennensis

Cobalt-rumped Parrotlet

Forpus xanthopterygius

Picazuro Pigeon

Patagioenas picazuro

Yellow-bellied Elaenia

Elaenia flavogaster

Rufous-browed Peppershrike

Cyclarhis gujanensis

Flavescent Warbler

Myiothlypis flaveola

Boat-billed Flycatcher

Megarynchus pitangua

Collared Crescentchest

Melanopareia torquata

Buff-breasted Wren

Cantorchilus leucotis

Short-crested Flycatcher

Myiarchus ferox

Pale-breasted Spinetail

Synallaxis albescens

Shrike-like Tanager

Neothraupis fasciata

Elaenia chiriquensis

Blue-and-white Swallow

Pygochelidon cyanoleuca

Southern Rough-winged Swallow

Stelgidopteryx ruficollis

Red-legged Seriema

Cariama cristata

Cairina moschata

Chopi Blackbird

Gnorimopsar chopi

Black-throated Saltator

Saltatricula atricollis

Common Squirrel Cuckoo

Fork-tailed Woodnymph

Thalurania furcata

Burnished-buff Tanager

Stilpnia cayana

Blue-black Grassquit

Volatinia jacarina

Yellow-bellied Seedeater

Sporophila nigricollis

Helmeted Manakin

Chiroxiphia galeata

Glittering-bellied Emerald

Chlorostilbon lucidus

Rufous-winged Antshrike

Thamnophilus torquatus

Grey-breasted Martin

Progne chalybea

Swallow Tanager

Tersina viridis

Buff-necked Ibis

Theristicus caudatus

White-vented Violetear

Colibri serrirostris

Ictinia plumbea

Sarcoramphus papa

Nyctidromus albicollis

White-rumped Monjita

Plumbeous Seedeater

Sporophila plumbea

Nengetus cinereus

Purple-throated Euphonia

Euphonia chlorotica

Rhopospina caerulescens

Buteogallus meridionalis

Brown-crested Flycatcher

Myiarchus tyrannulus

Grassland Sparrow

Ammodramus humeralis

Green-winged Saltator

Saltator similis

Double-collared Seedeater

Sporophila caerulescens

White-rumped Tanager

Cypsnagra hirundinacea

Black-faced Tanager

Schistochlamys melanopis

American Kestrel

Falco sparverius

Silver-beaked Tanager

Ramphocelus carbo

Horned Screamer

Heliactin bilophus

Amethyst Woodstar

Calliphlox amethystina

Fasciated Tiger Heron

Tigrisoma fasciatum

Chapada Flycatcher

Guyramemua affine

Crested Black Tyrant

Knipolegus lophotes

Fork-tailed Flycatcher

Tyrannus savana

Tawny-headed Swallow

Alopochelidon fucata

Southern Yellowthroat

Geothlypis velata

Red-legged Honeycreeper

Cyanerpes cyaneus

Planalto Hermit

Phaethornis pretrei

Mesembrinibis cayennensis

Whistling Heron

Syrigma sibilatrix

Sharp-tailed Grass Tyrant

Culicivora caudacuta

Common Tody-Flycatcher

Todirostrum cinereum

Plain-crested Elaenia

Elaenia cristata

Undulated Tinamou

Crypturellus undulatus

Scissor-tailed Nightjar

Hydropsalis torquata

Great Dusky Swift

Cypseloides senex

Black-throated Mango

Anthracothorax nigricollis

Ferruginous Pygmy Owl

Glaucidium brasilianum

Spot-backed Puffbird

Nystalus maculatus

Laughing Falcon

Herpetotheres cachinnans

Falco rufigularis

Scaly-headed Parrot

Pionus maximiliani

Jandaya Parakeet

Aratinga jandaya

Pearly-vented Tody-Tyrant

Hemitriccus margaritaceiventer

Velvety Black Tyrant

Knipolegus nigerrimus

White-throated Kingbird

Tyrannus albogularis

Moustached Wren

Pheugopedius genibarbis

Grey-headed Tanager

Eucometis penicillata

Red Pileated Finch

Coryphospingus cucullatus

Chestnut-bellied Seed Finch

Sporophila angolensis

Red-winged Tinamou

Rhynchotus rufescens

Spotted Nothura

Nothura maculosa

White-faced Whistling Duck

Dendrocygna viduata

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

Dendrocygna autumnalis

Amazonetta brasiliensis

White-cheeked Pintail

Anas bahamensis

Nomonyx dominicus

Least Nighthawk

Chordeiles pusillus

Band-tailed Nighthawk

Nyctiprogne leucopyga

Little Nightjar

Setopagis parvula

Rufous Nightjar

Antrostomus rufus

Cypseloides fumigatus

White-collared Swift

Streptoprocne zonaris

Biscutate Swift

Streptoprocne biscutata

Chaetura meridionalis

Fork-tailed Palm Swift

Tachornis squamata

Phaethornis ruber

Ruby-topaz Hummingbird

Chrysolampis mosquitus

Stripe-breasted Starthroat

Heliomaster squamosus

Blue-tufted Starthroat

Heliomaster furcifer

Sombre Hummingbird

Eupetomena cirrochloris

Versicolored Emerald

Chrysuronia versicolor

Glittering-throated Emerald

Chionomesa fimbriata

Crotophaga major

Smooth-billed Ani

Plumbeous Pigeon

Patagioenas plumbea

Ruddy Quail-Dove

Geotrygon montana

Grey-fronted Dove

Leptotila rufaxilla

Zenaida auriculata

Pardirallus nigricans

Ash-throated Crake

Mustelirallus albicollis

Purple Gallinule

Porphyrio martinica

Rufous-sided Crake

Laterallus melanophaius

Gallinago undulata

Gallinago paraguaiae

Spotted Sandpiper

Actitis macularius

Solitary Sandpiper

Tringa solitaria

Eurypyga helias

Mycteria americana

Anhinga anhinga

Neotropic Cormorant

Nannopterum brasilianum

Bare-faced Ibis

Phimosus infuscatus

Rufescent Tiger Heron

Tigrisoma lineatum

Butorides striata

Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture

Cathartes burrovianus

Pandion haliaetus

White-tailed Kite

Elanus leucurus

Hook-billed Kite

Chondrohierax uncinatus

Grey-headed Kite

Leptodon cayanensis

Swallow-tailed Kite

Elanoides forficatus

Ornate Hawk-Eagle

Spizaetus ornatus

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Accipiter striatus

Geranospiza caerulescens

Rostrhamus sociabilis

Great Black Hawk

Buteogallus urubitinga

Buteogallus coronatus

White-tailed Hawk

Geranoaetus albicaudatus

Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle

Geranoaetus melanoleucus

Short-tailed Hawk

Buteo brachyurus

American Barn Owl

Blue-crowned Trogon

Amazon Kingfisher

Chloroceryle amazona

Green Kingfisher

Chloroceryle americana

Ringed Kingfisher

Megaceryle torquata

Rusty-breasted Nunlet

Nonnula rubecula

Swallow-winged Puffbird

Chelidoptera tenebrosa

Green-barred Woodpecker

Colaptes melanochloros

Cream-colored Woodpecker

Collared Forest Falcon

Micrastur semitorquatus

Aplomado Falcon

Falco femoralis

Orange-winged Amazon

Amazona amazonica

Blue-winged Macaw

Primolius maracana

White-eyed Parakeet

Psittacara leucophthalmus

Olivaceous Woodcreeper

Sittasomus griseicapillus

Planalto Woodcreeper

Dendrocolaptes platyrostris

Buff-throated Woodcreeper

Xiphorhynchus guttatus

Streaked Xenops

Xenops rutilans

Point-tailed Palmcreeper

Berlepschia rikeri

Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper

Lochmias nematura

Planalto Foliage-gleaner

Syndactyla dimidiata

Buff-fronted Foliage-gleaner

Henna-capped Foliage-gleaner

Clibanornis rectirostris

Rufous-fronted Thornbird

Phacellodomus rufifrons

Greater Thornbird

Phacellodomus ruber

Firewood-gatherer

Anumbius annumbi

Yellow-chinned Spinetail

Certhiaxis cinnamomeus

Ochre-cheeked Spinetail

Synallaxis scutata

Sooty-fronted Spinetail

Synallaxis frontalis

Black-bellied Antwren

Formicivora melanogaster

Rusty-backed Antwren

Formicivora rufa

Large-billed Antwren

Herpsilochmus longirostris

Dysithamnus mentalis

Planalto Slaty Antshrike

Thamnophilus pelzelni

Great Antshrike

Myiopagis gaimardii

Grey-headed Elaenia

Myiopagis caniceps

Greenish Elaenia

Myiopagis viridicata

Elaenia spectabilis

Small-headed Elaenia

Elaenia sordida

Suiriri Flycatcher

Suiriri suiriri

Mouse-colored Tyrannulet

Nesotriccus murinus

Yellow Tyrannulet

Capsiempis flaveola

Southern Antpipit

Corythopis delalandi

Sepia-capped Flycatcher

Leptopogon amaurocephalus

Southern Scrub Flycatcher

Sublegatus modestus

Rusty-fronted Tody-Flycatcher

Poecilotriccus latirostris

Yellow-olive Flatbill

Tolmomyias sulphurescens

Euler's Flycatcher

Lathrotriccus euleri

Fuscous Flycatcher

Cnemotriccus fuscatus

Southern Tropical Pewee

Contopus cinereus

Vermilion Flycatcher

Pyrocephalus rubinus

Streamer-tailed Tyrant

Gubernetes yetapa

Black-backed Water Tyrant

Fluvicola albiventer

Cock-tailed Tyrant

Alectrurus tricolor

Long-tailed Tyrant

Colonia colonus

Machetornis rixosa

Piratic Flycatcher

Legatus leucophaius

Streaked Flycatcher

Myiodynastes maculatus

Variegated Flycatcher

Empidonomus varius

Tropical Kingbird

Tyrannus melancholicus

Sibilant Sirystes

Sirystes sibilator

Rufous Casiornis

Casiornis rufus

Swainson's Flycatcher

Myiarchus swainsoni

Band-tailed Manakin

Pipra fasciicauda

Black-crowned Tityra

Tityra inquisitor

Black-tailed Tityra

White-winged Becard

Pachyramphus polychopterus

Black-tailed Myiobius

Myiobius atricaudus

White-rumped Swallow

Tachycineta leucorrhoa

Brown-chested Martin

Hirundo rustica

American Cliff Swallow

Petrochelidon pyrrhonota

Cistothorus platensis

Creamy-bellied Thrush

Turdus amaurochalinus

Rusty-flanked Thrush

Turdus albicollis

Yellowish Pipit

Spinus magellanicus

Violaceous Euphonia

Euphonia violacea

Pectoral Sparrow

Arremon taciturnus

Saffron-billed Sparrow

Arremon flavirostris

Yellow-rumped Cacique

Variable Oriole

Icterus pyrrhopterus

Molothrus oryzivorus

Tropical Parula

Setophaga pitiayumi

White-striped Warbler

Myiothlypis leucophrys

Coal-crested Finch

Charitospiza eucosma

Nemosia pileata

Black-masked Finch

Coryphaspiza melanotis

Sooty Grassquit

Asemospiza fuliginosa

Black-goggled Tanager

Trichothraupis melanops

Dubois's Seedeater

Sporophila ardesiaca

Pearly-bellied Seedeater

Sporophila pileata

Orange-headed Tanager

Thlypopsis sordida

Cinereous Warbling Finch

Microspingus cinereus

Chestnut-vented Conebill

Conirostrum speciosum

Stripe-tailed Yellow Finch

Sicalis citrina

Grassland Yellow Finch

Sicalis luteola

Frilled Coquette

Lophornis magnificus

Azure Gallinule

Porphyrio flavirostris

Grey-breasted Crake

Laterallus exilis

Pilherodius pileatus

Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus

Tapirus terrestris

Black-tufted-ear Marmoset

Callithrix penicillata

Bearded Capuchin

Sapajus libidinosus

Chrysocyon brachyurus

Ozotoceros bezoarticus

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