The area of Chicoral is located in the southernmost part of the township of Bitaco and within the municipality of
La Cumbre in the
Valle del Cauca Department of
Colombia. It is home to the Hindú Tea Plantation, a major part of the Bitaco River Forest Reserve, and many small estates and farms. This region is only accessible by unpaved roads by way of La Cumbre from the north, the Cali-Buenaventura Road from the west and
Dapa DAPA may refer to:
* Defense Acquisition Program Administration, an executive branch of the South Korean government
* Deferred Action for Parents of Americans, a U.S. deferred action immigration program announced on November 20, 2014
Dapa may refer ...
from the east through a forested pass at .
The Bitaco River Forest Reserve was created in 1985 to protect a sizable portion of
cloud forest
A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud ...
and the headwaters of the Bitaco River, which flows northwest and drains into the
Dagua River. The reserve is located on the west slope of the
West Andes.
This is an area of high biodiversity with a high number of bird species including the endemic and highly sought after
multicolored tanager. Other important avian species include
sickle-winged guan
The sickle-winged guan (''Chamaepetes goudotii'') is a species of bird in the chachalaca, guan, and curassow family Cracidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. J ...
,
scaled fruiteater
The scaled fruiteater (''Ampelioides tschudii'') is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae. It is the only member of the genus ''Ampelioides''.
It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela, where its natural habitat is sub ...
,
golden-winged manakin
The golden-winged manakin (''Masius chrysopterus'') is a species of bird in the family Pipridae. It is the only member of the monotypic genus, ''Masius''.
It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropica ...
and
purplish-mantled tanager
The purplish-mantled tanager (''Iridosornis porphyrocephalus'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae.
It is found in Colombia and Ecuador.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and heavily degraded former ...
. In 2008 there was a sighting of
cloud-forest pygmy owl
The cloud-forest pygmy owl or cloudforest pygmy owl (''Glaucidium nubicola'') is a short, muscular, small-sized species of owl found throughout the Andes of western Colombia and north-western Ecuador, being confined to cloud forests between 900 ...
, a rare and vulnerable species of the northern
Andes
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...
.
References
{{Reflist
Populated places in the Valle del Cauca Department