Colombia Ramsar wetland
Lake Otún
266 bird species recorded; the most from March to April and from December to January.
Lychavez17 · CC BY-SA 4.0
This month here
184 species in January.182 species in February.184 species in March.194 species in April.173 species in May.117 species in June.166 species in July.158 species in August.125 species in September.131 species in October.104 species in November.183 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
VU
VU
VU
VU
VUVU
VU
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
266 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 266Speciesrecorded more than once
- 77Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 7ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 12,326Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 3,915 mAltitudeabove the sea
- 14Raptors
- 4Owls
- 10Waders
- 5Ducks & geese
- 5Herons, ibises & grebes
- 158Songbirds
- 70Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 266 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors14 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Black-chested Buzzard-EagleGeranoaetus melanoleucus
- Andean CondorVultur gryphusVU
- Black VultureCoragyps atratus
- Roadside HawkRupornis magnirostris
- Crested CaracaraCaracara plancus
- Broad-winged HawkButeo platypterus
- Turkey VultureCathartes aura
- Buteo albicaudatusButeo albicaudatus
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Percnohierax leucorrhousPercnohierax leucorrhous
- Buteo polyosomaButeo polyosoma
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Falco sparveriusFalco sparverius
- Accipiter striatusAccipiter striatus
Owls4 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Andean Pygmy-OwlGlaucidium jardinii
- Great Horned OwlBubo virginianus
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
- American Barn OwlTyto furcata
Waders10 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Southern LapwingVanellus chilensis
- Andean LapwingVanellus resplendens
- Andean SnipeGallinago jamesoni
- Greater YellowlegsTringa melanoleucaNT
- Noble SnipeGallinago nobilisNT
- Solitary SandpiperTringa solitaria
- Lesser yellowlegsTringa flavipesVU
- Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos
- Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata
- Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
Ducks & geese5 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Andean TealAnas andium
- Andean DuckOxyura ferruginea
- Blue-winged TealSpatula discors
- Torrent DuckMerganetta armata
- Masked DuckNomonyx dominicus
Herons, ibises & grebes5 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Phalacrocorax brasilianusPhalacrocorax brasilianus
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Whispering IbisPhimosus infuscatus
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Snowy EgretEgretta thula
Songbirds158 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Great ThrushTurdus fuscater
- Ochthoeca fumicolorOchthoeca fumicolor
- Rufous-collared SparrowZonotrichia capensis
- Brown-bellied SwallowNotiochelidon murina
- Grass WrenCistothorus platensis
- Plumbeous Sierra FinchGeospizopsis unicolor
- Stout-billed CinclodesCinclodes excelsior
- Tawny AntpittaGrallaria quitensis
- Scarlet-bellied Mountain-TanagerAnisognathus igniventris
- Golden-fronted RedstartMyioborus ornatus
- White-throated TyrannuletMecocerculus leucophrys
- Lacrimose Mountain-TanagerAnisognathus lacrymosus
- Masked Flower-piercerDiglossa cyanea
- Hooded Mountain-TanagerButhraupis montana
- Andean Tit-SpinetailLeptasthenura andicola
- Plain-coloured SeedeaterCatamenia inornata
- Red-crested CotingaAmpelion rubrocristatus
- Black FlowerpiercerDiglossa humeralis
- Slaty Brush-finchAtlapetes schistaceus
- Synallaxis azaraeSynallaxis azarae
- Myiothlypis nigrocristataMyiothlypis nigrocristata
- Pearled TreerunnerMargarornis squamiger
- Paramo SeedeaterCatamenia homochroa
- Pale-naped BrushfinchAtlapetes pallidinucha
- Mountain WrenTroglodytes solstitialis
- Rufous-breasted Chat-TyrantOchthoeca rufipectoralis
- Blue-backed ConebillConirostrum sitticolor
- Chestnut-naped AntpittaGrallaria nuchalis
- Grass-green TanagerChlorornis riefferii
- Superciliaried HemispingusThlypopsis superciliaris
- Andean SiskinSpinus spinescens
- White-banded TyrannuletMecocerculus stictopterus
- Cinnamon FlycatcherPyrrhomyias cinnamomeus
- Blue-and-black TanagerTangara vassorii
- Many-striped CanasteroAsthenes flammulata
- Bicoloured AntpittaGrallaria rufocinerea
- White-sided FlowerpiercerDiglossa albilatera
- Paramo TapaculoScytalopus opacus
- Blackish TapaculoScytalopus latrans
- Streak-throated Bush-TyrantMyiotheretes striaticollis
- Black-collared JayCyanolyca armillata
- Hooded SiskinSpinus magellanicus
- Smoky Bush-tyrantMyiotheretes fumigatus
- Spillmann's TapaculoScytalopus spillmanni
- White-capped TanagerSericossypha albocristataVU
- Glossy Flower-piercerDiglossa lafresnayii
- Schizoeaca fuliginosaSchizoeaca fuliginosa
- Paramo Ground TyrantMuscisaxicola alpinus
- Buff-breasted Mountain-tanagerDubusia taeniata
- Grey-breasted Wood-WrenHenicorhina leucophrys
- Grallaria saturataGrallaria saturata
- Dusky PihaLipaugus fuscocinereus
- Ocellated TapaculoAcropternis orthonyx
- Capped ConebillConirostrum albifrons
- Streaked TuftedcheekPseudocolaptes boissonneautii
- Black-capped HemispingusKleinothraupis atropileus
- Blue-and-white SwallowNotiochelidon cyanoleuca
- Blue-capped TanagerSporathraupis cyanocephala
- Black-headed HemispingusPseudospingus verticalis
- Slaty-backed Chat-TyrantOchthoeca cinnamomeiventris
- Barred FruiteaterPipreola arcuata
- Grey-browed BrushfinchArremon assimilis
- Rufous WrenCinnycerthia unirufa
- Montane WoodcreeperLepidocolaptes lacrymiger
- Green-and-black FruiteaterPipreola riefferii
- Grey-hooded Bush TanagerCnemoscopus rubrirostris
- Pale-footed SwallowNotiochelidon flavipes
- Slaty-crowned AntpittaGrallaricula nana
- Band-tailed SeedeaterCatamenia analis
- Russet-crowned WarblerMyiothlypis coronata
- Ash-colored TapaculoMyornis senilis
- Inca JayCyanocorax yncas
- Crowned Chat-TyrantOchthoeca frontalis
- Golden-crowned TanagerIridosornis rufivertex
- Blue-winged Mountain-tanagerAnisognathus somptuosus
- Chestnut-breasted ChlorophoniaChlorophonia pyrrhophrys
- Anairetes agilisAnairetes agilis
- Strong-billed WoodcreeperXiphocolaptes promeropirhynchus
- Cinclodes albidiventrisCinclodes albidiventris
- White-tailed TyrannuletMecocerculus poecilocercus
- Undulated AntpittaGrallaria squamigera
- Yellow-bellied Chat-tyrantOchthoeca diadema
- PlushcapCatamblyrhynchus diadema
- Black phoebeSayornis nigricans
- Black-backed Bush-finchUrothraupis stolzmanni
- Tropical KingbirdTyrannus melancholicus
- Glossy-black ThrushTurdus serranus
- White-capped DipperCinclus leucocephalus
- Blackburnian WarblerSetophaga fusca
- White-browed SpinetailHellmayrea gularis
- Tyrannine WoodcreeperDendrocincla tyrannina
- Chestnut-crowned AntpittaGrallaria ruficapilla
- White-naped Brush-finchAtlapetes albinucha
- Beryl-spangled TanagerTangara nigroviridis
- Rufous-breasted FlycatcherLeptopogon rufipectus
- Sepia-brown WrenCinnycerthia olivascens
- Saffron-crowned TanagerTangara xanthocephala
- Barred BecardPachyramphus versicolor
- Grassland Yellow-FinchSicalis luteola
- Citrine WarblerMyiothlypis luteoviridis
- Rufous-headed Pygmy-tyrantPseudotriccus ruficeps
- Torrent TyrannuletSerpophaga cinerea
- Andean SolitaireMyadestes ralloides
- Mountain CaciqueCacicus chrysonotus
- Three-striped WarblerBasileuterus tristriatus
- Crescent-faced AntpittaGrallaricula lineifrons
- Black-billed ThrushTurdus ignobilis
- Black-chested Mountain TanagerCnemathraupis eximia
- Oleaginous HemispingusSphenopsis frontalis
- Bar-winged cinclodesCinclodes fuscus
- Red-hooded TanagerPiranga rubriceps
- Common Bush TanagerChlorospingus flavopectus
- Slate-throated RedstartMyioborus miniatus
- Streaked XenopsXenops rutilans
- Rufous SpinetailSynallaxis unirufa
- Red-ruffed FruitcrowPyroderus scutatus
- Summer TanagerPiranga rubra
- Swainson's ThrushCatharus ustulatus
- Slaty FinchHaplospiza rustica
- Saffron FinchSicalis flaveola
- Smoke-colored PeweeContopus fumigatus
- Bluish Flower-piercerDiglossa caerulescens
- Southern House WrenTroglodytes musculus
- Black-capped TanagerStilpnia heinei
- Montane Foliage-gleanerAnabacerthia striaticollis
- Golden TanagerTangara arthus
- Scarlet TanagerPiranga olivacea
- Rusty Flower-piercerDiglossa sittoides
- Yellow-bellied SiskinSpinus xanthogastrus
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Black-throated Tody-TyrantHemitriccus granadensis
- Marble-faced Bristle-tyrantPhylloscartes ophthalmicus
- Pale-edged FlycatcherMyiarchus cephalotes
- Golden-faced TyrannuletZimmerius chrysops
- Shiny CowbirdMolothrus bonariensis
- Fawn-breasted TanagerPipraeidea melanonota
- Brown-banded AntpittaGrallaria milleriVU
- Mountain ElaeniaElaenia frantzii
- Black-billed PeppershrikeCyclarhis nigrirostris
- Tropical ParulaSetophaga pitiayumi
- Chestnut-capped Brush FinchArremon brunneinucha
- Black-eared HemispingusSphenopsis melanotis
- Plumbeous-crowned TyrannuletPhyllomyias plumbeiceps
- Carib GrackleQuiscalus lugubris
- Eastern MeadowlarkSturnella magnaNT
- Spotted BarbtailPremnoplex brunnescens
- Red-eyed VireoVireo olivaceus
- Ashy-throated Bush-tanagerChlorospingus canigularis
- Rufous-crested TanagerCreurgops verticalis
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Barred AntthrushChamaeza mollissima
- Streak-necked FlycatcherMionectes striaticollis
- White-crested ElaeniaElaenia albiceps
- Flavescent FlycatcherMyiophobus flavicans
- Multicoloured TanagerChlorochrysa nitidissimaNT
- Stiles's TapaculoScytalopus stilesi
- Whiskered WrenPheugopedius mystacalis
- Dendrocolaptes picumnusDendrocolaptes picumnus
Other birds70 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Tyrian MetaltailMetallura tyrianthina
- Tourmaline SunangelHeliangelus exortis
- Viridian MetaltailMetallura williami
- Gray-breasted Mountain-toucanAndigena hypoglauca
- Purple-backed ThornbillRamphomicron microrhynchum
- Buffy HelmetcrestOxypogon stuebeliiVU
- Shining SunbeamAglaeactis cupripennis
- Buff-winged StarfrontletCoeligena lutetiae
- Band-tailed PigeonPatagioenas fasciata
- Crimson-mantled WoodpeckerColaptes rivolii
- Rufous-fronted ParakeetBolborhynchus ferrugineifronsVU
- Mountain VelvetbreastLafresnaya lafresnayi
- White-collared SwiftStreptoprocne zonaris
- Golden-plumed ParakeetLeptosittaca branickii
- Black-thighed PufflegEriocnemis derbyi
- Sword-billed HummingbirdEnsifera ensifera
- American CootFulica americana
- Scaly-naped AmazonAmazona mercenaria
- Sparkling Violet-earColibri coruscans
- Fuertes’s parrotHapalopsittaca fuertesi
- Plum-crowned ParrotPionus tumultuosus
- Black-billed Mountain-ToucanAndigena nigrirostris
- Andean GuanPenelope montagnii
- Great SapphirewingPterophanes cyanopterus
- Rainbow-bearded ThornbillChalcostigma herrani
- Collared IncaCoeligena torquata
- Golden-breasted PufflegEriocnemis mosquera
- Masked TrogonTrogon personatus
- Eared DoveZenaida auriculata
- Bar-bellied WoodpeckerVeniliornis nigriceps
- Long-tailed SylphAglaiocercus kingii
- Speckled HummingbirdAdelomyia melanogenys
- Sickle-winged GuanChamaepetes goudotii
- Andean MotmotMomotus aequatorialis
- Buff-tailed CoronetBoissonneaua flavescens
- Mountain AvocetbillOpisthoprora euryptera
- Chestnut-collared SwiftStreptoprocne rutila
- Band-winged NightjarSystellura longirostris
- Powerful WoodpeckerCampephilus pollens
- White-bellied WoodstarChaetocercus mulsant
- White-throated ToucanetAulacorhynchus albivitta
- Cauca GuanPenelope perspicaxVU
- Bronzy IncaCoeligena coeligena
- Glowing PufflegEriocnemis vestita
- Western EmeraldChlorostilbon melanorhynchus
- Barred ParakeetBolborhynchus lineola
- White-throated Quail-DoveZentrygon frenata
- Chestnut Wood-QuailOdontophorus hyperythrus
- Lesser VioletearColibri cyanotus
- Bronze-winged ParrotPionus chalcopterus
- Collared TrogonTrogon collaris
- White-tipped SwiftAeronautes montivagus
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Slate-colored CootFulica ardesiaca
- Lyre-tailed NightjarUropsalis lyra
- Uranomitra franciaeUranomitra franciae
- White-booted Racket-tailOcreatus underwoodii
- Rufous-tailed HummingbirdAmazilia tzacatl
- Crimson-crested WoodpeckerCampephilus melanoleucos
- Smooth-billed AniCrotophaga ani
- Lined Quail-doveZentrygon linearis
- Ringed KingfisherMegaceryle torquata
- Greenish PufflegHaplophaedia aureliae
- Fawn-breasted BrilliantHeliodoxa rubinoides
- Green-fronted LancebillDoryfera ludovicae
- Acorn WoodpeckerMelanerpes formicivorus
- Scarlet-fronted ParakeetAratinga wagleri
- Pale-vented PigeonPatagioenas cayennensis
- Golden-olive WoodpeckerColaptes rubiginosus
- Smoky-brown WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus fumigatus
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species from March to April and from December to January.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan20°/12°113 mm
- Feb20°/12°118 mm
- Mar20°/13°161 mm
- Apr20°/13°217 mm
- May20°/12°202 mm
- Jun20°/12°146 mm
- Jul20°/11°130 mm
- Aug21°/11°142 mm
- Sep21°/11°150 mm
- Oct20°/12°221 mm
- Nov19°/12°215 mm
- Dec20°/12°173 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Lake Otún.
Lake in Colombia
Lake Otún is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Colombia, 3,915 m above the sea.
266 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 12,326 open records.
The most recorded are the Great Thrush, the Ochthoeca fumicolor and the Rufous-collared Sparrow.
31 species come for the summer, 42 for the winter and 4 only pass through.
7 are threatened worldwide, including Buffy Helmetcrest, Rufous-fronted Parakeet and Andean Condor.
The most species are recorded from March to April and from December to January.
Get there and watch
- Potosicampsite · 6.2 km · 6 within 10 km
- Cabaña Otúnplace to stay · 0.3 km · 10 within 10 km
- Salentonearest town · 23 km in a straight line
- La Nubia Airport (MZL)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 29 km in a straight lineCar hire at BOG airport (Bogota)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 3marked trails within 4 kmTravesía del Parque de los Nevados, El Cedral - La Pastora - Laguna del Otún, Ascenso al Santa Isabel
- 2viewpoints within 5 kmBorde de Glaciar, Mirador del Otún
- 6campsites within 10 kmPotosi, El Cisne, Camping de La Pastora and 3 more
- 10places to stay within 10 kmCabaña Otún, Potosí, Finca el Jordan and 7 more
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
- car parks within 3 km
- restaurants and cafés within 3 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Lake Otún.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas25 mountains within 25 kmSanta Isabel4,945 m · volcano · 7.2 kmNevado del Quindío4,760 m · 7.3 kmNevado El Cisne4,636 m · 10 kmNevado del Tolima5,200 m · 15 km↗Nevado del Ruiz5,389 m · volcano · 17 km↗Morro Gacho · 18 kmAlto Sinaí · 22 kmCerro Teta · 23 km
Lakeyas1 lakes within 15 kmLake Otún0.8 km² · 1.1 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Other places nearby.
Lake Otún
Colombia
- 77Birdyas Score
- 266Species
- 77Migrants
- 7Threatened
Chingaza National Natural Park
Colombia · 192 km
- 64Birdyas Score
- 201Species
- 52Migrants
- 4Threatened
Farallones de Cali National Natural Park
Colombia · 218 km
- 62Birdyas Score
- 287Species
- 70Migrants
- 0Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q2734155) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 12,326 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Lakeyas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Visit mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Visit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit 
caves
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit 
dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit