Argentina is the second largest country in South America home to around 1000 species.

With a wide variety of biomes, it projects from the cold and temperate climates of Patagonia up north, to the tropic of Capricorn. The Andes cordillera runs along the western edge, declining gradually to the east into the pampas plains to finally end on the extensive Atlantic coastline.About a dozen species are endemics and another thirty near endemic or endemic breeders. This can be added to several specialties for which Argentina is the best place to look, and the spectacular ones such as Rheas, Seriemas, Penguins, Tapaculos and numerous weird waders such as Diademed Plover, Painted Snipe, Magellanic Plover, Seedsnipes and Sheathbills. The tropical north holds Toucans, Trogons, Tanagers, Antbirds, Manakins and Hummingbirds.

Birding in Argentina is comparatively easy compared to other South American countries. It’s a totally modern country, slightly European in atmosphere, with good infrastructure and safe to travel in. The challenge is the sheer size of the country, and the birding strategy applied must always take this into consideration. In four-five weeks it is possible to include all corners of Argentina: Two weeks for the south, and the other divided between Northwest and Northeast. The choice would be highly dependent on the birder’s experience in the region, but it wouldn’t be inaccurate to say that Argentina is perfect to start your South American list: within the diverse avifauna of the Neotropical region, most of the bird families and many genera are represented within Argentina’s diverse geography. So it’s ideal for learning the groups and working your way up north into other tropical countries, where too many species are sometimes overwhelming and difficult to retain.

Airlines cover the whole country and, alternatively, there is an extensive system of long-distance buses. Road conditions are generally good, but travelling distances are usually big and some of the best birding areas are only reachable with 4×4 vehicles, so, even low budget birding in Argentina turns out more expensive than in many other Latin American countries due to the generally higher cost of living.For people who prefer travelling in a group together with professional leadership, many of the top birding tour operators have years of experience in the country and visit all the main birding spots. Particularly in key areas, it’s convenient to have help from local birding specialists as they will save time (and money) pinpointing the precise areas for certain species, which is the case of the Endangered Hooded Grebe in Patagonia.The southern summer is the right time for travelling to Argentina. Springtime between October and January is probably the best, but all the other months are fine for the northern half of the country. In contrast, you should avoid travelling to the south in wintertime.

Source: https://fatbirder.com/world-birding/south-america/argentine-republic/