Swallow-tailed Manakin at Atlantic Rainforest

The Atlantic Rainforest—Brazil's Mata Atlântica—once ran almost unbroken along the eastern seaboard, climbing from coastal lowlands into mist-shrouded escarpments further inland, and though only fragments remain today, these surviving tracts still hold real promise for the Swallow-tailed Manakin. Photographers joining the Birds of Brazil holiday in May stand the best chance of encountering this striking species within these remnant forests. Patience pays off here, as the fragmented, steep terrain rewards those willing to work the mist-laden edges where the old forest still clings on. It's a fitting subject for a region defined as much by what has been lost as by what endures.