Colombian Educational Materials

Suspects by Nature

This is an environmental detective game! All human actions have consequences to the environment. Discover how environmental problems are caused by the community and come up with solutions to live sustainably in nature.

Authors: Zoraya Buitrago and Jay Martin
Contact Information: ficsana@gmail.com
Organizations: SELVA, Fundación Aves Colombianas, and AES Colombia.

The Bacana Route

The Bacana Route is a game about bird migration! Where do migratory birds live throughout the year? Where do migratory birds travel? What are the risks during long flights? The Bacana Route helps the player understand the impressive routes migratory birds take as well as our important role as protectors of birds.

Authors: Zoraya Buitrago, Jay Martin, Camila Gomez and Nick Bayly
Contact Information: info@selva.org.co
Organizations:SELVA, Fundación Aves Colombianas, and Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center.

FiloGenios

FiloGenios is a card game that shows the great variety of species that live in Colombia and how wonderful, rare, and incredible they are. In addition, the game shows some of the threats our ecosystems face and some options we have to protect them. 

Author: Catalina Palacios
Contact Information:info@selva.org.co
Organization: Universidad de Los Andes, Phylo (The Phylomon Project), SELVA

A Pure Flight

This game aims to raise awareness of the fauna present in the wetlands of Bogotá. A Pure Flight identifies the morphological characteristics, distribution, and habitats of animals and recognizes each of the ecosystem services they carry out. For example birds disperse the seeds of the fruits they consume and help pollinate flowers through feeding on their nectar. Birds also control the growth of populations of various invertebrates and small vertebrates through their role as predators.

Authors: Andrés Camilo Pérez Rodríguez, Esperanza Sepúlveda Rojas and Liza Lorena Quitian Ayala
Organizations: Licenciatura en Educación Básica con Énfasis en Ciencias Naturales y Educación Ambiental de UNIMINUTO Virtual y a Distancia, Grupo de Investigación CAYTES – Ciencia, Ambiente y Turismo Ecologico Sustentable, y Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios – UNIMINUTO.

Bird Expeditionary Guide

This fun activity guide was created by aspiring young explorers to learn more about birds and how to watch them in detail while discovering the joy of being close to nature. Anyone can go on a bird expedition to expand their understanding and appreciation about the birds in their community! All you need is your curiosity, the activity guide, and pencils to discover the wonderful world of birds and nature. It is that easy!

Organizations: Expediciones BIO: Alas, Cantos y Colores, Alexander von Humboldt Institute, Natural Sciences Institute of the National University of Colombia, Grow Colombia and United Way Colombia
Contact: Nelsy Niño-Rodríguez

Education Curriculum for Primary School: Biodiversity Week

This is a week-long educators’ curriculum with activities on birds and butterflies. It includes an educator’s manual and activity sheets. Each activity meets the standards of the Ministry of Education for science, mathematics, art, Spanish, and physical education among others!

Ornitho-guide, An Approach to Wetland Birds (Ornitologuía, Una Aproximación a las Aves de Humedal)

In this piece the reader begins their flight inside the world of birds! The first section is a review of the important bird characteristics from beak to feathers. The second part of the book dives into detailed descriptions of the 40 species of birds residing in the Bogotano wetland, including their taxonomic identifications, habits and ecological importance. This text is a great tool for everyone from beginning birders to those that have observed birds for their entire lives!

Authors: Esperanza Sepúlveda Rojas, Juan Carlos Mendoza Mendoza, and Andrés Camilo Pérez Rodríguez

Organizations: Licenciatura en Educación Básica con Énfasis en Ciencias Naturales y Educación Ambiental de UNIMINUTO Virtual y a Distancia, Grupo de Investigación CAYTES – Ciencia, Ambiente y Turismo Ecologico Sustentable, Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios – UNIMINUTO

Vaupés — Through Feathers, Sounds, and Colors. The birds that tell their traditional stories, 1st edition (Vaupés – Entre Plumajes, Sonidos y Colores. Las Aves cuentan sus historias tradicionales)

This book emphasizes the great cultural collection of different bird species that the ethnic groups of Vaupés have from their origin stories. These groups want to strengthen their knowledge and cultural identity by investigating the origin stories.  This book gives the reader an inside  view into the important social and cultural values found in the mystic world of nature. The interest of the groups is to generate productive alternatives based on the traditional knowledge that their grandparents, uncles and parents have about birds. This book is the result of nine months of investigation by the local research seedbed of SENNOVA called Etno-Ornithology Amazonian Motmot. 

Raptors found in organizally grown rice paddies in the Cauca River Valley (Aves Rapaces en arrozales del valle geográfico del Río Cauca)

Authors: Y.Cifuentes Sarmiento, L.A. Neira, L.F. Castillo, and J. Suarez Valbuena
Contact Information: Asociación Calidris
Organizations: Asociación Calidris (Calidris Asociation) and Arrocera la Esmeralda S.A.

(Photo © Y. Cifuentes Sarmiento, L.A. Neira, L.F. Castillo y J. Suarez Valbuena)

Bosque Seco Especial: Guía de Especies (The Dry Forest: Species Guide)

This book documents the current state of the Colombian dry forest. It  focuses on the main fauna and flora species of the dry forest in three different regions of the country, found in six departments in the country: La Guajira, Bolívar, César, Tolima, Valle de Cauca and Huila. The species monitoring emphasizes the value of the identified species in the conservation of biodiversity and its importance for the well-being of local communities under historic contexts of transformation and territory use. The Dry Forest Expeditions resulted from an alliance between the United Nations Development Program (PNUD) and the Humboldt Institute within the Global Environment Facility (GEF) project for dry ecosystems. 

Authors: Alma Hernández, Rafael Achury, José Aguilar, Luisa Ardila, Paula Caycedo-Rosales, Angélica Díaz Pulido, Marcia Muñoz, Susana Rodríguez-Buritíca, Roy González

Organizations: Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt

Focal Bird Species of Cundinamarca: Strategies for Conservation (Especies de Aves Focales de Cundinamarca: Estrategias para la conservación)

In the publication, we can find detailed information about focal bird species that are found in Cundinamarca. This publication contains detailed information about the focal birds of Cundinamarca.  These species were selected because they are good indicators of how well their ecosystems are doing. The detailed information about each species includes taxonomic description, physical attributes, diet and habitat as well as ecological information, including the level of threat that each species is under. There are also chapters about recommendations for the conservation of the species and their habitats, the selection of the focal species, the birds’ anatomy, and a chapter about the observation of birds in the field. This publication is presented by The Autonomous Regional Corporation of Cundinamarca (CAR), with the support of Bogota Association of Ornithology (ABO) and the Bird Observers Network. This publication supports the efforts for the region’s ecosystem conservation and hopes to increase bird observation among the public and incentivize concrete actions toward avifauna conservation in the region. 

Authors: Ana María Franco, Juan David Amaya-Espinel, Ana María Umaña Villaveces, Maria Piedad Baptiste E., Oswaldo Cortés

Organizations: Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt

The Magic of the Birds of Chingaza (La Magia de la Aves de Chingaza)

This book presents 156 species of  birds found in the Chingaza Natural National Park’s, forests and paramos. This park is less than two hours from the metropolitan area of Bogota. It extends over the eastern mountain range of the Andes and it is home to approximately 400 bird species. The publication includes various sections including, a general description of the park and its dominant ecosystems, technical information about the bird species and recommendations to on how to develop responsible Avi-tourism projects.

Authors: Luis Guillermo Linares-Romero, F. Gary Stiles, Loreta Rosselli, Pedro Camargo M, Jonathan Candil, Robinson Galindo Tarazona, Fredy Enrique Avellaneda y Ángel Ramiro Pulido

Organizations: Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia

Birds of the Las Plandas Village and its Surroundings, Mocoa (Putumayo), Colombia

The Amazon Conservation Team Colombia, the Asociación Alas Putumayo (Alas Putumayo Association), and the Asociación de Mujeres Indígenas -ASOMI- (Association of Indigenous Women ), joined forces to hold a workshop. The goal of the workshop was to discover the cultural and biological importance of the biodiversity of the Piedemonte Andino Amazónico (Amazonian Andean Piedmont) territory. The workshop: “Exploring our territory through birds” was the basis for this Field Guide! The guide contains 102 registered species of birds and is intended for children and young people of Las Planadas and its surroundings, Mocoa, Putumayo. To download the complete guide, download both sides; the second Side is the reverse of the first Side.

Birds of My Earth – Municipality of Sotará (Los Aves de Mi Tierra – Municipio de Sotará)

This booklet features some of the bird species present in the municipality of Sotará, Department of Cauca, Colombia. It was created to help community members get to know their local birds! Hopefully they will become passionate about nature in their region. 

Author: Dr. Oscar Orozco Pastrana
Organizations: Municipio de Sotará, Fundación Aves, Fauna y Flora del Departamento del Cauca y AVEFACAUCA.

Indigenous Communities and Birds: A Photographic Guide

This booklet features a photographic introduction to the birds that live around the Mitú, Vaupés community through the lens of the indigenous Kubeo people. As part of an etho-ornithology study, the guide values ​​the relationship between human cultures and birds, and so the guide features the original Pamikamú name of the birds – calling upon the expertise of those who live within the bird’s community. This photographic guide can be a tool for those who want to learn more about birds and indigenous cultures who have customarily interacted with them. 

Author: Gloria Amparo Rivera Velasco
Organizations: SENA (Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje) Regional Vaupés, SENNOVA (Sistema de Investigación Desarrollo Tecnológico e Innovación), ETNO Ornitologia