Juan Fernandez Archipelago
Robinson Crusoe Island
The Juan Fernandez Archipelago consists of the islands of Robinson Crusoe, Alejandro Selkirk and Santa Clara and is known for its pirate stories, treasures, naval battles and stunning landscape. These volcanic islands are located some 650 km from the Chilean coast and have been declared Biosphere Reserves, owing to their particularly varied biodiversity and numerous endemic plants. Despite the distance, one can get to Robinson Crusoe Island relatively easily and quickly. The flight from Santiago takes 2-3 hours to the airfield located at one end of the island. The settlement of San Juan Bautista, place of residence of the small island population, can be reached by boat on a 2-hour trip from the airport.
On Robinson Crusoe we will find two species of endemic and endangered birds: the Juan Fernandez Tit-Tyrant and the Juan Fernandez Firecrown, as well as some birds also that are common in central Chile. In addition, we will try to spot petrels of the Pterodroma genus (or Gadfly Petrels) that are common in this archipelago. These are Masatierra (Defillipi’s) Petrel, Juan Fernandez Petrel, Stejneger’s Petrel and Kermadec Petrel, and also the Pink-footed Shearwater, which breeds in the forests of the island.
Although on this trip we will focus on a small group of birds, they are all considered to be among the rarest birds in the world. |
