Guyana's Wildife Bonanza

Black curassow, by Greg Butcher.

English courtier Sir Walter Raleigh ventured twice to the South American country of Guyana in search of El Dorado, a legendary city of gold. He didn’t find it. Of course, maybe he wasn’t looking for the right kind of treasure.

A tropical locale that shares a border with Brazil, Guyana boasts more than 800 species of birds (more than the contiguous 48 United States) in an area just the size of Idaho. It’s also home to a trove of so-called “charismatic megafuana,” including jaguars, false vampire bats, giant anteaters, and green anacondas, among others--known at the Iwokrama Forest Reserve as the “Giants of El Dorado.”

A few months ago, Greg Butcher,  National Audubon Society’s director of bird conservation, traveled to Guyana to get up close and personal with some of its wildlife, as well as learn the scoop on the country’s eco-travel ambitions. Read his article about the trip, and see a photo gallery here.