Coffee growing was established in Villa Rica by immigrants of German origin in the 1930s, laying the foundation of an industry that now earns Peru about $200 million each year. Peru has found a unique niche in the world’s competitive and lucrative coffee market and is now the second largest exporter of organic speciality coffee, including Villa Rica’s well-known “Café de Chanchamayo”.
Villa Rica led the way in the development of “technified shade” coffee, a system that uses various kinds of Inga, a tree in the bean family, to provide the shade that coffee needs. Known locally as “Pacay”, Inga also produces flowers that are very attractive to hummingbirds and fruits that bring in parrots, warblers, and tanagers. The Villa Rica area also has large areas of “rustic shade” coffee, where the coffee plants are grown under a remnant forest canopy or under a diverse array of native trees typical of secondary forest.
Whether managed Inga shade or more diverse rustic shade, coffee plantations act as modified forest habitats, and as a result, many forest birds continue to find refuge in coffee plantations. Recently, researchers have become interested in coffee plantations as an important resource for Neotropical migrants, that can provide habitats for an impressive list of species. In the Villa Rica area, almost half of the 400 birds on the list have been seen in Inga coffee, and nearly three-quarters in rustic coffee, underlining their importance.
We can only hope that the cafetaleros who choose to grow these shade grown coffees are well-rewarded with premiums to compensate for the lower, but more ecologically sound yields, as we are rewarded with the birds they host.
Villa Rica makes a good base for exploring the surrounding forest areas and coffee plantations. On the ridges around the town, nice montane forest remains, and the connection to the huge national park of Yanachaga-Chemillïn adds to the diversity. Wattled Guan, Olivaceous Piha, Jet Manakin, Cerulean-capped Manakin, Yellow-cheeked Becard, White-eared Solitaire, Yellow-throated Tanager, Black-goggled Tanager, and Golden-collared Honeycreeper are only a few of the riches that inhabit these slopes.
A unique feature is the lake and marsh complex of Laguna Oconal, one of the largest marshes at this elevation in the region. It has attracted an exciting range of birds in the past, including the highly sought-after but rarely seen Masked Duck, as well as Limpkin, Blackish Rail, and Purple Gallinule. Ocellated Poorwill, Scissor-tailed Nightjar, and Striped Owl can be found here in the evening.
The shrubby habitats around the lake are home to Variable Chachalaca, Sepia-capped Flycatcher, and Black-faced Tanager, and have produced an unusual record for Thrush-like Antpitta.
Many of the best spots around Villa Rica are within walking distance, and for longer trips you could go by taxi. To explore some of the more distant forest patches a 4-wheel drive truck is recommended. The area can be birded adequately in a few days, but a week would be better. Villa Rica is an especially friendly town offering a few basic hotels, a good variety of restaurants, and of course some of the finest coffee you will taste anywhere.
We are indebted to the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (SMBC). For more information about shade-grown coffee visit the SMBC website at
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/MigratoryBirds/Coffee/
* BUD AND MARGARET WIDDOWSON, worked on a Smithsonian Institution shade coffee project in Villa Rica, and have traveled and birded extensively in Peru. They have both seen over half the birds of Peru. They are currently consultant biologists based in California.
e-mail: widdowson@saber.net |
