Conservation

The Lost Tinamou is Finca La Gracia's birding center, located in Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa, in the municipality of Escuintla, Guatemala. Since 1990, one-third of Finca La Gracia was left untouched. This land, previously dedicated to coffee cultivation, is today occupied by very humid subtropical (warm) forest. Amongst a sea of intensive cattle ranching, pineapple, rubber, and sugarcane fields, the native flora and fauna have found refuge in this relatively small preserve.

Since 2015, we have been working with professors and students from the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala and with specialized birding guides in order carry out surveys of the area and to prepare a management plan for the reserve. To date we have registered over 300 species of butterflies and more than 230 species of birds in eBird's "Finca La Gracia" Hotspot, including several vulnerable and endangered species.

We're excited to share this natural wealth with you. At The Lost Tinamou we have facilities to host small groups of day visitors. The farm's old roads have been converted into birding trails, which we maintain using nature-friendly techniques. We would love to receive your comments and suggestions after your visit!

Altitude: 380 to 520 meters above sea level

Temperature: 18 to 36 degrees Celsius

Rainfall: 3,500 mm average annual precipitation

References:

Bayly, N., Carman, E., Angulo-Irola, M.P., Caicedo, Y. & Rubio, M. Final report: Occupancy surveys in Honduras and Guatemala, a Workshop on Advanced techniques for studying migratory birds and the Corredor Azul. Technical Report NFP18. SELVA, Bogota D.C, 2022.
Rapid Ecological Evaluation of Finca La Gracia, Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa, Escuintla. Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG), 2016.
Management Plan for Finca La Gracia, Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa, Escuintla. Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG), 2016.
Sagastume Pinto, Karla Varinia. 2019. Recommendations: Good Practices for Bird Watching at Finca La Gracia, Escuintla, Guatemala.
Galindo Vásquez, Manuel Antonio, Colum Muccio, and LoraKim Joyner. 2018. Final Report 2018: COLORES Project.