Avistar Rio: event for bird enthusiasts returns in 2026 during the September 7 holiday weekend

Avistar Rio, an event dedicated to birdwatching and the conservation of Brazilian birdlife, returns from September 4 to 7. Now in its 11th edition, the event is part of Avistar Brasil and brings together bird enthusiasts, researchers, photographers, guides and birdwatchers for activities for the whole family. The free program takes place at the Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro and is spread across the Jardim Botânico Museum, Galpão das Artes, Arboretum and the Association of Friends of the Jardim Botânico (AAJB).

Avistar Rio begins on Friday, September 4, at the Jardim Botânico Museum, with an opening panel at 3 p.m., followed by a screening of the documentary “CNCFlora Scientific Expeditions: Neglected Biomes – Caatinga, Pampa and Pantanal”, with researchers Gustavo Martinelli and Eduardo Fernandez, from the National Center for Flora Conservation (CNCFlora/JBRJ).

On September 5 and 6, the program will be concentrated at Galpão das Artes and the Museum’s Multi-Purpose Room, featuring talks and panel discussions on topics including citizen science, pelagic birds, women in ornithology, nature photography, birdwatching tourism and environmental journalism. Documentaries will also be screened throughout both days, including “Anta”, directed by João Marcos Rosa, and “Habitantes do Brasil: Arara-vermelha”, by Beware Collective.

The birdwatching walks (“passarinhadas”) will be led by biologist Henrique Rajão and will take place on September 5 and 6 at 7 a.m. in the Jardim Botânico Arboretum. Advance registration is required through the event’s official website. On Saturday, September 5, starting at 5:30 p.m., the Association of Friends of the Jardim Botânico will host the launches of the books “O Rastro da Onça — Relações entre Humanos e Animais no Pantanal”, by Felipe Süssekind, and “Macramê”, by Carina Alves.

Avistar Kids – This edition also features activities for children, with Avistar Kids taking place from September 5 to 7 in the Museum Gardens and at the “Ser(tão): imersão no cerrado” exhibition. On all three days, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, “Brincadeiras de Jardim” will offer a conversation with children and families about the relationship between birds and the environments where they live. In the afternoon, from 2:30 to 4 p.m., a different activity will take place each day at the Ser(tão) exhibition: on Saturday, “João de Pau: Coletividade e Território” features a storytelling session about the joão-de-pau bird and its relationship with the Cerrado; on Sunday, “O Ninho Em Que Habitamos” invites participants to reflect on spaces that allow coexistence with other organisms. On the holiday, “Saberes Aninhados” explores initiatives that contribute to bird conservation in Brazil. Each activity has three sessions, with 20 participants per session.

Also on the September 7 holiday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Museum’s Multi-Purpose Room will host “Mostra Olhares da Natureza”, featuring 14 short-, medium- and feature-length films by Brazilian and other Latin American directors. The films address topics such as the conservation of threatened species, the work of researchers and stories of communities connected to wildlife.

The complete Avistar Rio 2026 program is available at AvistarRio.com.br.

EVENT DETAILS

Avistar Rio 2026
Dates: September 4–7, 2026
Location: Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro – Jardim Botânico Museum, Galpão das Artes and Arboretum
Address: 1008 Rua Jardim Botânico — Rio de Janeiro
Free admission

FULL PROGRAM

September 4 (Friday)

3–3:30 p.m.: Opening Panel (Jardim Botânico Museum)
3:30–5:30 p.m.: Screening of “CNCFlora Scientific Expeditions: Neglected Biomes – Caatinga, Pampa and Pantanal” — Gustavo Martinelli and Eduardo Fernandez (CNCFlora/JBRJ) (Jardim Botânico Museum)

September 5 (Saturday)

Jardim Botânico Arboretum
7–9 a.m.: Birdwatching Walk — Henrique Rajão

Galpão das Artes

10–11 a.m.: Talk: “The Bird That Never Existed: AI, Photographs and the Future of Citizen Science” — Willian Menq
11–11:30 a.m.: Talk: “Masters of the Storms: Brazil’s Pelagic Birds” — Fábio Olmos
11:30 a.m.–noon: Talk: “WikiAves — History and How It Works” — Reinaldo Guedes
Noon–12:15 p.m.: Talk: “Woodcreepers That Follow Monkeys” — Gabriela Astorga
12:15–12:30 p.m.: Talk: “Bird Pollination” — Jakeline Pires
2–3 p.m.: Talk: “Brazilian Merganser: From an Unknown Bird to a Symbol of Water Conservation in Brazil” — Sávio Bruno
3–3:30 p.m.: Talk: “Birds of Southeastern Brazil App” — Gabriel Mello and Filipe Prates
4–5 p.m.: Panel: “You Wanna Know About Jaguars? — Guimarães Rosa, Biologists and Jaguar Hunters in the Pantanal Hinterlands” — Ana Luiza Martins Costa and Felipe Süssekind
5–5:15 p.m.: Talk: “Where Brazil Begins: Birds and Field Stories in Oiapoque (AP)” — Larissa Hjort
5:15–6 p.m.: Talk: “Other Eyes on Cities” — Fernando Fernandez

Jardim Botânico Museum — Multi-Purpose Room

10–11 a.m.: Panel: “Women in Ornithology and in the Field: Challenges and Achievements” — Marília Fanucchi (Ornitomulheres), Érica Borges (Mulheres Fauna e Flora Terrestre) and Luiza Figueira (OAMA)
11–11:30 a.m.: Talk: “Tijuca, Protective Forest” — Daniel Venturini
11:30 a.m.–noon: Talk: “Atlantic Forest Birds National Action Plan (PAN Aves da Mata Atlântica)” — Maria Alice dos Santos Alves
Noon–12:30 p.m.: Talk: “The Birds of Luiz Gonzaga” — Lena Trindade
2–3:30 p.m.: Screening: “Anta” — directed by João Marcos Rosa (documentary)
4–5 p.m.: Talk: “Atol das Rocas: A Paradise, A Guardian” — João Marcos Rosa
5–5:30 p.m.: Project: “Cabo Frio Albatross — Interactions Between Oceanic Birds and Tuna Fishing and Measures to Mitigate Bycatch” — Eduardo Pimenta

Association of Friends of the Jardim Botânico

5:30 p.m.: Book launch: “O Rastro da Onça — Relações entre Humanos e Animais no Pantanal” — Felipe Süssekind
5:30 p.m.: Book launch: “Macramê” — Carina Alves

September 6 (Sunday)

Arboretum

7–9 a.m.: Birdwatching Walk — Henrique Rajão

Galpão das Artes

10–11 a.m.: Talk: “Filling Empty Forests with Life” — Marcelo Rheingantz and Lara Renzeti
11–11:30 a.m.: Panel: “Building the Future: Children Who Watch Birds” — Miguel Belo Toro, Tiago Valentim, Arthur Teixeira and Matheus Vieira
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.: Talk: “The Secret Society of Hummingbirds” — Nathalia Diniz
2–3 p.m.: Talk: “How Can Birdwatchers Contribute to Environmental Journalism?” — Marcio Isensee (oEco)
3–3:30 p.m.: Talk: “Listen to Birds” — Melissa Alves
4–5 p.m.: Panel: “Lodges, Birdwatching Tourism and Conservation” — Saira Azul, Virtuoso, Alto da Lumiar, Pousada Paraíso and Donati

Jardim Botânico Museum — Multi-Purpose Room

10–10:30 a.m.: Talk: “Birds of the Sertão” — Luciano Lima
10:30–10:45 a.m.: Talk: “Birdwatching in Rio: How Is the Program Doing?” — Dhavi Cabada
10:45–11 a.m.: Talk: “Morro do Leme: Landscape and Birds” — Alessandro Allegretti
11 a.m.–noon: Talk: “Practical Tips for Nature Photography” — Vitor Marigo
Noon–12:30 p.m.: Screening: “Habitantes do Brasil: Arara-vermelha” — Beware Collective (documentary)
2–3:30 p.m.: Film: “No Tom das Aves” — Terra da Gente
4–5 p.m.: Screening: “In Search of the World’s Rarest Feline — Pampa, the Forgotten Biome” — directed by Yan Rodrigues (documentary)

Avistar Kids

September 5

10:30 a.m.–noon: Activity: “Brincadeiras de Jardim” — Museum Gardens
2:30–4 p.m.: Activity: “João de Pau: Coletividade e Território” — Ser(tão) Exhibition, 1st floor — three sessions, 20 participants each

September 6

10:30 a.m.–noon: Activity: “Brincadeiras de Jardim” — Museum Gardens
2:30–4 p.m.: Activity: “O Ninho Que Habitamos” — Ser(tão) Exhibition, ground floor — three sessions, 20 participants each

September 7

10:30 a.m.–noon: Activity: “Brincadeiras de Jardim” — Museum Gardens
2:30–4 p.m.: Activity: “Saberes Aninhados” — Ser(tão) Exhibition, 1st floor — three sessions, 20 participants each

Olhares da Natureza Film Showcase

September 7 — Jardim Botânico Museum, Multi-Purpose Room

10:05 a.m.: “Entre La Sal y el Cielo” — directed by Felipe Rosa (17 min)
10:30 a.m.: “Monitorando o presente, preservando o futuro” — directed by Affonso Henrique Nascimento (14 min)
10:50 a.m.: “Asas de Esporão — poema e vida de um quero-quero” — directed by Sávio Freire Bruno (10 min)
11:10 a.m.: “Floresta Curumim” — directed by Miguel Monteiro (15 min)
11:30 a.m.: “Cidadão Kalango” — directed by Luiz Gustavo Betanin (15 min)
11:50 a.m.: “Após 40 anos: o retorno do papagaio-chauá” — directed by Alexandre Resende (28 min)
12:30 p.m.: “Pingo de Floresta” — directed by Júlia Mendes Pereira Checchinato (13 min)
1 p.m.: “Galo-da-serra: mistério e beleza na floresta da Amazônia” — directed by Rogério Siqueira (10 min)
1:15 p.m.: “Invasores” — directed by Lygia Maria Barbosa da Silva (60 min)
2:30 p.m.: “Observatório Ornitológico” — directed by Maycon Hoffmann (19 min)
3 p.m.: “Instituto Ambiecco: entre garras e mãos” — directed by João Miguel Baldin Farah (22 min)
3:30 p.m.: “Parques Nacionais — ParNa de São Joaquim” — directed by Sérgio Ricardo Espada (22 min)
4 p.m.: “Sei, la Ballena Desconocida” — directed by Mariano Fernández (30 min)
4:40 p.m.: “É linda, quero te proteger!” — directed by Gabriel Marchi (22 min)