Now booking trips starting in February 2024!
Welcome to Cúa Birding
Guiding birders in the Dominican Republic since 2011
About us
This birding and bird photography tour company was created by Tour Leader Iván Mota, born from his passion for adventure, nature, photography, bird conservation, and his native country, the Dominican Republic (DR). DR occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean, sharing the island with Haiti. Cúa is the local name for the Hispaniolan endemic Bay-breasted Cuckoo (Coccyzus rufigularis). This species is listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on their Red List of Threatened Species and has restricted distribution on the island of Hispaniola. Iván has worked with this species and implemented a monitoring program for a local population during his time at DR’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.
Cúa Birding offers specialized birding and bird Photography trips from 1 up to 8 days in length each Fall into Spring, designed to cover the most beautiful regions of the island. The varied terrain of Hispaniola has given it a complex assemblage of habitats ranging from sea level to 2,250m with an incredibly rich biodiversity. As a result, the island has the highest number of avian endemics of any Caribbean island, 34, as well as also having among the highest number of bird species overall – roughly 321. All of this allows guests to experience phenomenal birding as we move from one unique habitat to the next. Come with us and let’s find those Hispaniolan endemics as well as many other Caribbean specialties!
We lead trips for Kate Wallace’s Tody Tours. Cúa Birding is proudly featured on Caribbean Birding Trail and collaborate with Birds Caribbean.
Iván Mota
Tour Leader
A trained artist, Iván is the birding expert of the team. He has a degree in Fine Arts from the International Fine Arts College of Miami, Florida, and spent several years as a graphic designer in the advertising industry in the Dominican Republic before deciding to purse another lifelong passion: biology. After rediscovering his childhood love of birding, he never looked back. Since 2009, Iván has served as the lead guide for many birding tour companies serving the Dominican Republic like Wildside Nature and Fieldguides, and has guided in South, Central and North America, as well as in South East Asia (Borneo and peninsular Malaysia). In 2011, he was invited to participate in the “Project Puffin Sea Bird Restoration Program” in the state of Maine. (The National Audubon Society started Project Puffin in 1973 in an effort to learn how to restore puffins to historic nesting islands in the Gulf of Maine).
Iván has collaborated with Birds Caribbean and the Vermont Center for Ecostudies on various workshops and conservation projects they are conducting in the Dominican Republic (DR), including one on the winter ecology of Bicknell’s Thrush and another on the montane forest birds of Hispaniola. In his work for the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources in DR, he lead several conservation projects focused on endemic species of the island. Iván spent eight years between the states of Colorado and California, USA, where he worked as wildlife biologist for various environmental consulting companies assisting clients to comply with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.
Ivan’s work allows him to combine his love of drawing and biology, while enjoying the beauty of the Dominican Republic. From his years of fieldwork, he knows the Dominican Republic intimately, especially the island’s bird species, their habitat preference preferences, and seasonality. Additionally, he has a vast knowledge of bird vocalizations through his bioacoustics recording studies and long hours spent in the field, facilitating for the immediate identification and localization of targeted species.
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