Alvaro Jaramillo – Birds, Birding, and the Field Guide to Chile

Alvaro (Al) Jaramillo was born in Chile but began birding in Toronto, Canada, where he lived as a youth.

He studied ecology and evolution in Toronto and Vancouver, earning a masters degree studying co-evolution in Argentine cowbirds. Research forays and backpacking trips introduced Alvaro to the riches of the Neotropics, where he has traveled extensively. He recently published Birds of Chile, an authoritative yet portable field guide to Chilean birds. His other book, New World Blackbirds: The Icterids, deals with the biology and identification of this fascinating group of birds. He coedited, with Luis Segura, a translation of John Kricher’s Neotropical Companion, published by Birders Exchange. He has also contributed both popular and scientific articles to various magazines and journals, and wrote the icterid chapter for The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior.

Alvaro lives with his wife and two kids in the cozy coastal town of Half Moon Bay, California. Ecologically, it is very much like Chile but the people speak English! Al, a birder who is also keenly interested in all aspects of the natural world and in understanding biology and behavior of wild creatures, is a guide for the tour company Field Guides and has great fun guiding tours throughout the Americas.