Peixe National Park Lagoon

National Park · Brazil

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Photo © Carlos Souto

Photo © Carlos Souto — CC BY-SA 4.0 — Source: Wikimedia Commons

Where the coastal plains of Rio Grande do Sul meet the Atlantic, Peixe National Park Lagoon sprawls across nearly 2,200 square kilometres of shallow waters, reed beds, and marshland that form one of Brazil's most ecologically vital wetland systems. The park's defining feature is its vast shallow lagoon, connected to the sea through narrow channels that allow tidal fluctuations to shape an ever-shifting mosaic of open water, emergent vegetation, and mudflat. These waters and their surrounding grasslands and shrublands support a remarkable array of wading birds, waterfowl, and migratory shorebirds that move along the Atlantic flyway, alongside small mammals adapted to wetland life and fish populations that thrive in the nutrient-rich brackish environment. The landscape here is deceptively simple in appearance—low-lying and windswept—yet ecologically complex, with seasonal flooding and salinity gradients creating distinct microhabitats that pulse with life according to rainfall and tidal rhythm.

For wildlife photographers and serious birdwatchers, Peixe presents an unmatched opportunity to witness both resident waterbirds and the vast seasonal movements of migrants, particularly during spring and autumn passages when flocks concentrate in extraordinary numbers along the shallow margins. The park's accessibility and the relatively open terrain allow extended observation from strategic vantage points, while the soft, diffuse light of the southern Brazilian coast—especially in early morning and late afternoon—renders the water and distant vegetation in subtle, photogenic gradations. The quietness of the wetland, broken only by bird calls and wind through reed beds, heightens the sense of witnessing ecological processes largely undisturbed; visiting in the cooler months (May to August) offers the most comfortable conditions for extended fieldwork, though each season brings its own rhythm of arrival and departure. This is a park for patient naturalists, those willing to spend hours in stillness watching the slow unfold of one of South America's most important wetland systems.

White-rumped Sandpiper

Calidris fuscicollis

American Golden Plover

Pluvialis dominica

Buff-breasted Sandpiper

Calidris subruficollis

Chilean Flamingo

Phoenicopterus chilensis

Correndera Pipit

Anthus correndera

Spectacled Tyrant

Hymenops perspicillatus

Yellow-billed Tern

Sternula superciliaris

Yellow-chinned Spinetail

Certhiaxis cinnamomeus

Larus dominicanus

Crested Caracara

Caracara plancus

Southern Lapwing

Vanellus chilensis

Neotropic Cormorant

Nannopterum brasilianum

Many-colored Rush Tyrant

Tachuris rubrigastra

Grey-headed Gull

Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus

Athene cunicularia

Chalk-browed Mockingbird

Mimus saturninus

Furnarius rufus

Sicalis flaveola

White-winged Coot

Fulica leucoptera

James's Flamingo

Phoenicoparrus jamesi

Baird's Sandpiper

Calidris bairdii

White-banded Mockingbird

Butorides striata

Ringed Kingfisher

Megaceryle torquata

Myiopsitta monachus

Machetornis rixosa

Molothrus bonariensis

Black-and-rufous Warbling Finch

Poospiza nigrorufa

Callonetta leucophrys

Tawny-throated Dotterel

Oreopholus ruficollis

Short-billed Dowitcher

Limnodromus griseus

Stilt Sandpiper

Calidris himantopus

Larus atlanticus

Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross

Thalassarche chlororhynchos

Green Kingfisher

Chloroceryle americana

Orange-breasted Thornbird

Phacellodomus ferrugineigula

Sulphur-bearded Reedhaunter

Limnoctites sulphuriferus

Small-headed Elaenia

Elaenia sordida

Austral Negrito

Rufous-collared Sparrow

Zonotrichia capensis

Greyish Baywing

Agelaioides badius

Mycteria americana

Spotted Nothura

Nothura maculosa

Great Horned Owl

Bubo virginianus

Yellowish Pipit

White-faced Whistling Duck

Dendrocygna viduata

Magellanic Penguin

Spheniscus magellanicus

Amazon Kingfisher

Chloroceryle amazona

Rostrhamus sociabilis

Zenaida auriculata

Pitangus sulphuratus

Picazuro Pigeon

Patagioenas picazuro

Southern House Wren

Troglodytes musculus

Picui Ground Dove

Columbina picui

Rufous-bellied Thrush

Turdus rufiventris

American Oystercatcher

Haematopus palliatus

Bay-capped Wren-Spinetail

Spartonoica maluroides

Snowy-crowned Tern

Sterna trudeaui

Coscoroba coscoroba

Calidris canutus

Ciconia maguari

South American Tern

Sterna hirundinacea

White-winged Tern

Chlidonias leucopterus

Vermilion Flycatcher

Pyrocephalus rubinus

Tropical Kingbird

Tyrannus melancholicus

Black-necked Stilt

Himantopus mexicanus

Roseate Spoonbill

Buff-necked Ibis

Theristicus caudatus

Brown-hooded Gull

Chroicocephalus maculipennis

Thalasseus maximus

Hudsonian Godwit

Limosa haemastica

Greater Yellowlegs

Tringa melanoleuca

Black-necked Swan

Cygnus melancoryphus

Yellow-billed Pintail

Lesser Yellowlegs

Tringa flavipes

Southern Screamer

Chauna torquata

Two-banded Plover

Anarhynchus falklandicus

Rufous-chested Dotterel

Zonibyx modestus

Large-billed Tern

Phaetusa simplex

White-browed Meadowlark

Leistes superciliaris

White-faced Ibis

Geositta cunicularia

Collared Plover

Anarhynchus collaris

Thalasseus sandvicensis

Semipalmated Plover

Charadrius semipalmatus

Chestnut-capped Blackbird

Chrysomus ruficapillus

White-rumped Swallow

Tachycineta leucorrhoa

Brown-and-yellow Marshbird

Pseudoleistes virescens

Ruddy Turnstone

Arenaria interpres

Giant Wood Rail

Aramides ypecaha

Pectoral Sandpiper

Calidris melanotos

Chimango Caracara

Daptrius chimango

Red-crested Cardinal

Paroaria coronata

Pluvialis squatarola

Long-winged Harrier

Gallinago paraguaiae

Yellow-winged Blackbird

Agelasticus thilius

Pardirallus sanguinolentus

Spatula versicolor

Spatula platalea

Spot-flanked Gallinule

Porphyriops melanops

Red-gartered Coot

Fulica armillata

Short-billed Pipit

Anthus furcatus

Theristicus caerulescens

Firewood-gatherer

Anumbius annumbi

Grassland Yellow Finch

Sicalis luteola

Aramus guarauna

White-tufted Grebe

Rollandia rolland

Chilean Swallow

Tachycineta leucopyga

Amazonetta brasiliensis

Wilson's Phalarope

Phalaropus tricolor

South American Painted-snipe

Nycticryphes semicollaris

Gull-billed Tern

Gelochelidon nilotica

Sternula antillarum

Bare-faced Ibis

Phimosus infuscatus

Wren-like Rushbird

Phleocryptes melanops

Curve-billed Reedhaunter

Limnornis curvirostris

Sooty Tyrannulet

Serpophaga nigricans

Embernagra platensis

Yellow-billed Teal

Anas flavirostris

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Calidris pusilla

Pinnated Bittern

Botaurus pinnatus

Whistling Heron

Syrigma sibilatrix

Hudson's Canastero

Asthenes hudsoni

Olive Spinetail

Cranioleuca obsoleta

Brown-chested Martin

Fork-tailed Flycatcher

Tyrannus savana

Hirundo rustica

Hellmayr's Pipit

Anthus hellmayri

Yellow-browed Tyrant

Satrapa icterophrys

Scarlet-headed Blackbird

Amblyramphus holosericeus

Common Squirrel Cuckoo

Spotted Sandpiper

Actitis macularius

Buteogallus meridionalis

American Kestrel

Falco sparverius

Grey-breasted Martin

Progne chalybea

Yellow-rumped Marshbird

Pseudoleistes guirahuro

Tropical Parula

Setophaga pitiayumi

Creamy-bellied Thrush

Turdus amaurochalinus

Fulvous Whistling Duck

Dendrocygna bicolor

Rosy-billed Pochard

Black-headed Duck

Heteronetta atricapilla

Nacunda Nighthawk

Chordeiles nacunda

Dark-billed Cuckoo

Coccyzus melacoryphus

Ruddy Ground Dove

Columbina talpacoti

Curlew Sandpiper

Calidris ferruginea

Black-browed Albatross

Thalassarche melanophris

White-chinned Petrel

Procellaria aequinoctialis

Rufescent Tiger Heron

Tigrisoma lineatum

Buff-winged Cinclodes

Cinclodes fuscus

Crested Doradito

Pseudocolopteryx sclateri

Coereba flaveola

Double-collared Seedeater

Sporophila caerulescens

Crypturellus obsoletus

Red-winged Tinamou

Rhynchotus rufescens

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

Dendrocygna autumnalis

Cairina moschata

White-cheeked Pintail

Anas bahamensis

Nomonyx dominicus

Dusky-legged Guan

Penelope obscura

Spot-winged Wood Quail

Odontophorus capueira

Nyctidromus albicollis

Scissor-tailed Nightjar

Hydropsalis torquata

White-collared Swift

Streptoprocne zonaris

Grey-rumped Swift

Chaetura cinereiventris

Chaetura meridionalis

Glittering-bellied Emerald

Chlorostilbon lucidus

Swallow-tailed Hummingbird

Eupetomena macroura

Gilded Sapphire

Hylocharis chrysura

Smooth-billed Ani

Pale-vented Pigeon

Patagioenas cayennensis

Columbina squammata

White-tipped Dove

Leptotila verreauxi

Grey-fronted Dove

Leptotila rufaxilla

Ash-throated Crake

Mustelirallus albicollis

Slaty-breasted Wood Rail

Aramides saracura

Common Gallinule

Gallinula galeata

Red-fronted Coot

Fulica rufifrons

Purple Gallinule

Porphyrio martinica

Dot-winged Crake

Laterallus spiloptera

Yellow-breasted Crake

Laterallus flaviventer

Rufous-sided Crake

Laterallus melanophaius

Tachybaptus dominicus

Pied-billed Grebe

Podilymbus podiceps

Upland Sandpiper

Bartramia longicauda

Eurasian Whimbrel

Numenius phaeopus

Solitary Sandpiper

Tringa solitaria

Tringa semipalmata

Chlidonias niger

Parasitic Jaeger

Stercorarius parasiticus

Pomarine Jaeger

Stercorarius pomarinus

Stercorarius chilensis

Southern Giant Petrel

Macronectes giganteus

Manx Shearwater

Puffinus puffinus

Magnificent Frigatebird

Fregata magnificens

Anhinga anhinga

Mesembrinibis cayennensis

Black-crowned Night Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax

Little Blue Heron

Egretta caerulea

Coragyps atratus

Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture

Cathartes burrovianus

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Accipiter striatus

Cinereous Harrier

Circus cinereus

Great Black Hawk

Buteogallus urubitinga

Rupornis magnirostris

White-tailed Hawk

Geranoaetus albicaudatus

White Woodpecker

Melanerpes candidus

Green-barred Woodpecker

Colaptes melanochloros

Aplomado Falcon

Falco femoralis

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

Buff-browed Foliage-gleaner

Syndactyla rufosuperciliata

Freckle-breasted Thornbird

Phacellodomus striaticollis

Straight-billed Reedhaunter

Limnoctites rectirostris

Chotoy Spinetail

Schoeniophylax phryganophilus

Rufous-capped Spinetail

Synallaxis ruficapilla

Spix's Spinetail

Synallaxis spixi

Sooty-fronted Spinetail

Synallaxis frontalis

Variable Antshrike

Thamnophilus caerulescens

Rufous-capped Antshrike

Thamnophilus ruficapillus

Yellow-bellied Elaenia

Elaenia flavogaster

Small-billed Elaenia

Elaenia parvirostris

Olivaceous Elaenia

Elaenia mesoleuca

Southern Beardless Tyrannulet

Camptostoma obsoletum

White-crested Tyrannulet

Serpophaga subcristata

Warbling Doradito

Pseudocolopteryx flaviventris

Bran-colored Flycatcher

Myiophobus fasciatus

Ochre-faced Tody-Flycatcher

Poecilotriccus plumbeiceps

Euler's Flycatcher

Lathrotriccus euleri

Blue-billed Black Tyrant

Knipolegus cyanirostris

White-headed Marsh Tyrant

Arundinicola leucocephala

Streaked Flycatcher

Myiodynastes maculatus

Boat-billed Flycatcher

Megarynchus pitangua

Swainson's Flycatcher

Myiarchus swainsoni

Rufous-browed Peppershrike

Cyclarhis gujanensis

Southern Rough-winged Swallow

Stelgidopteryx ruficollis

Blue-and-white Swallow

Pygochelidon cyanoleuca

Tawny-headed Swallow

Alopochelidon fucata

Masked Gnatcatcher

Polioptila dumicola

Blacksmith Thrush

Turdus subalaris

Rusty-flanked Thrush

Turdus albicollis

Pale-breasted Thrush

Turdus leucomelas

Passer domesticus

Spinus magellanicus

Purple-throated Euphonia

Euphonia chlorotica

Green-chinned Euphonia

Euphonia chalybea

Grassland Sparrow

Ammodramus humeralis

Variable Oriole

Icterus pyrrhopterus

Screaming Cowbird

Molothrus rufoaxillaris

Chopi Blackbird

Gnorimopsar chopi

Southern Yellowthroat

Geothlypis velata

White-rimmed Warbler

Myiothlypis leucoblephara

Golden-crowned Warbler

Basileuterus culicivorus

Glaucous-blue Grosbeak

Cyanoloxia glaucocaerulea

Ultramarine Grosbeak

Cyanoloxia brissonii

Wedge-tailed Grass Finch

Emberizoides herbicola

Green-winged Saltator

Saltator similis

Blue-black Grassquit

Volatinia jacarina

Red Pileated Finch

Coryphospingus cucullatus

Ruby-crowned Tanager

Tachyphonus coronatus

Long-tailed Reed Finch

Donacospiza albifrons

Grey-throated Warbling Finch

Microspingus cabanisi

Fawn-breasted Tanager

Pipraeidea melanonota

Blue-and-yellow Tanager

Rauenia bonariensis

Diademed Tanager

Stephanophorus diadematus

Thraupis sayaca

Florisuga fusca

Black-throated Mango

Anthracothorax nigricollis

Pardirallus nigricans

Pandion haliaetus

Short-tailed Hawk

Buteo brachyurus

Short-eared Owl

Red-legged Seriema

Cariama cristata

Dysithamnus mentalis

Sharp-tailed Grass Tyrant

Culicivora caudacuta

Streamer-tailed Tyrant

Gubernetes yetapa

Black-and-white Monjita

Heteroxolmis dominicana

White-winged Swallow

Tachycineta albiventer

Flamarion's Tuco-tuco

Ctenomys flamarioni

Myocastor coypus

Southern Long-nosed Armadillo

Dasypus novemcinctus

South American Fur Seal

Arctocephalus australis

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