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Esteros del Iberá

The Iberá in December

December is summer in the wetlands. This is what happens in the Iberá this month and what to know before you travel.

Summer arrives: heat and storms. A good month for blooms and nesting birds, always heading out early.

Season

The high season of the Iberá is from June to October. Winter (June to August) is the best time: low water, concentrated wildlife, cool weather and no mosquitoes. Long weekends and July are the peaks of occupancy: book in advance. The low season (January to March) has extreme heat but also very active wildlife at dawn.

Weather

The Iberá has a humid subtropical climate. Average temperature in January: 27°C, in July: 16°C. Absolute highs exceed 40°C in summer. Frosts are possible between June and August. It rains all year round, around 1,400 mm annually: the wettest months are March and April (over 160 mm each) and winter is the dry season, with July and August around 55 mm, a third of what falls in March.

Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes are most active in summer (December to March) and at dusk. With proper repellent and lightweight long clothing they are not a real problem. In the cold months (May to August) there are practically no mosquitoes. The lodgings in the Iberá always have mosquito nets.

Only at this time of year

They are only around for part of the year, and this month is one of them.

Cockspur coral tree
Only at this time of year
Cockspur coral tree
Erythrina crista-galli

From October to February is the season of splendor.

Coral Snake
Only at this time of year
Coral Snake
Micrurus baliocoryphus

The best chances occur on warm, humid summer nights after rain, when they come to the surface to move about.

White waterlily
Only at this time of year
White waterlily
Nymphaea prolifera

At its maximum splendor during the warm season, from October to March.

Ingá (ice-cream-bean tree)
Only at this time of year
Ingá (ice-cream-bean tree)
Inga vera

Ripe pods between December and March, when wildlife activity in its crown is at its peak and the sound of the monkeys tearing pods apart is constant.

Ubajay
Only at this time of year
Ubajay
Hexachlamys edulis

Ripe fruit from December to March.

Yellow Anaconda
Only at this time of year
Yellow Anaconda
Eunectes notaeus

Spring to early autumn (October to April).

Guabiyú
Only at this time of year
Guabiyú
Myrcianthes pungens

Ripe fruit from December to February, when the ground beneath the tree is stained an intense black.

Argentine Black-and-white Tegu
Only at this time of year
Argentine Black-and-white Tegu
Salvator merianae

Exclusively from spring to summer (September to April).

Red-bellied piranha
Only at this time of year
Red-bellied piranha
Pygocentrus nattereri

Very active in the warm months (November to March).

Iberá Seedeater
Only at this time of year
Iberá Seedeater
Sporophila iberaensis

Exclusively spring and summer (October to February).

Tropical Kingbird
Only at this time of year
Tropical Kingbird
Tyrannus melancholicus

A summer visitor, abundant from September to March.

Upland Sandpiper
Only at this time of year
Upland Sandpiper
Bartramia longicauda

Spring and summer (October to March), its time in the southern hemisphere.

In bloom

Species in bloom during this month.

Water hyacinth
In bloom
Water hyacinth
Pontederia crassipes

The spectacular flowering occurs from November to March, carpeting entire hectares in violet across the calm bays.

Irupé
In bloom
Irupé
Victoria cruziana

From November to March is the period of maximum splendor and flowering.

Gambaúta (anchored water hyacinth)
In bloom
Gambaúta (anchored water hyacinth)
Pontederia azurea

Its most explosive and intense flowering period occurs between the months of October and March.

Sarandí colorado
In bloom
Sarandí colorado
Cephalanthus glabratus

Spectacular from September to December, when it flowers with hundreds of white pompoms that literally protrude from the water.

Arrowhead (water arrow)
In bloom
Arrowhead (water arrow)
Sagittaria montevidensis

Its striking black-and-white flowering becomes especially abundant and photogenic between the months of September and January.

Brazilian orchid tree
In bloom
Brazilian orchid tree
Bauhinia forficata

It flowers generously from September to February.

Dwarf yatay palm
In bloom
Dwarf yatay palm
Butia paraguayensis

Its period of greatest visibility occurs during spring and summer, when its flowering and subsequent fruiting give it away among the pastures.

Jerusalem thorn
In bloom
Jerusalem thorn
Parkinsonia aculeata

Very showy from spring to late summer (October to March), when it remains in flower almost continuously.

Breeding

Breeding season: more song, more movement and better chances of seeing them.

Red-and-green Macaw
Breeding
Red-and-green Macaw
Ara chloropterus

Peak activity in spring and summer during nesting season.

Strange-tailed Tyrant
Breeding
Strange-tailed Tyrant
Alectrurus risora

Spring and summer during the breeding season.

Saffron-cowled Blackbird
Breeding
Saffron-cowled Blackbird
Xanthopsar flavus

The breeding season in spring and summer is the best time to see them.

Scarlet-headed Blackbird
Breeding
Scarlet-headed Blackbird
Amblyramphus holosericeus

Year-round, with greater activity and noise during the breeding season in spring and summer (October to February).

Migration

Migratory species passing through or arriving in the Iberá at this time.

Osprey
Migration
Osprey
Pandion haliaetus

Mainly in the southern spring and summer (October to March), when it migrates from the northern hemisphere.

Greater Ani
Migration
Greater Ani
Crotophaga major

Spring and summer (a summer migrant in the Iberá), though harder to see than the smooth-billed ani.

At its best

They are here all year, but this is their moment of greatest presence or activity.

Water lettuce
At its best
Water lettuce
Pistia stratiotes

Present and abundant year-round, with an explosive proliferation during the summer months.

Carandilla (dwarf palm)
At its best
Carandilla (dwarf palm)
Allagoptera campestris

The season of greatest appeal occurs during spring and summer (from October to March), the period in which the colorful spikes laden with orange fruit ripen and stand out sharply against the sandy ground.

Floating fern
At its best
Floating fern
Salvinia auriculata

Visible year-round, with its peaks of maximum expansion during the summer months (November to March).

Black carob tree
At its best
Black carob tree
Neltuma nigra

Fall and ripening of fruit between December and February, when the ground beneath its crown fills with pods and wildlife activity is at its peak.

Glittering-bellied Emerald
At its best
Glittering-bellied Emerald
Chlorostilbon lucidus

More visible in spring and summer when the flowers are more abundant.

White-faced Ibis
At its best
White-faced Ibis
Plegadis chihi

Year round, with greater presence in spring and summer when the wetlands are active.

Black-and-white Monjita
At its best
Black-and-white Monjita
Heteroxolmis dominicana

Year-round, with greatest detectability in spring and summer.

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
At its best
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Dendrocygna autumnalis

Year round, most abundant in spring and summer.

Red-winged Tinamou
At its best
Red-winged Tinamou
Rhynchotus rufescens

Year round, most detectable in spring and summer when the males sing more frequently.

Always there

The Iberá's emblematic wildlife is around all year, December included.

🐆 Ocelot 🦦 Coypu 🐻 Southern Tamandua 🐱 Puma 🦦 Neotropical Otter 🦫 Capybara 🐊 Caiman 🦢 Southern Screamer 🦩 Jabiru 💜 Water hyacinth 🦩 Wood Stork 🐦 Anhinga 🐦 Yellow Cardinal 🐦 Saffron-cowled Blackbird

Where to see it

The gateways into the Great Iberá Park, each with its own lodges, guides and boat tours.

Portal Río Corriente Portal Capivari Portal Uguay Portal Carambola Portal Laguna Iberá Portal San Nicolás Portal San Antonio Portal Cambyretá Portal Galarza P.N. Mburucuyá Ituzaingó Mercedes

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