Birds flourish in Colombian region once home to guerrilla groups

60 Minutes - Newsmakers Birding paradise flourishes in Colombian region that was once a war zone .chip { background-image: url('/fly/bundles/cbsnewscore/images/chip-bgd/chip-bgd-60-minutes.jpg'); } By Anderson Cooper, Anderson Cooper 60 Minutes Correspondent Anderson Cooper, anchor of CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360," has contributed to 60 Minutes since 2006. His exceptional reporting on big news events has earned Cooper a reputation as one of television's preeminent newsmen. Read Full Bio Anderson Cooper, Andy Court Andy Court 60 Minutes Producer Andy Court is an award-winning producer and investigative reporter for 60 Minutes. He has been with the broadcast since 2004. Read Full Bio Andy Court May 3, 2026 / 7:00 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Once in a while we get to travel so far off-the-beaten track, there's hardly a track at all. That was the case last year when we went to the mountains of western Colombia. There are some 2,000 species of birds in that South American country, more than anywhere else on Earth – partly because of its diverse geography but also, surprisingly, because of war. Decades of fighting among the Colombian government, left-wing guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries, and narco-traffickers made some areas so dangerous, few people could go there, preserving the birds' habitat. But since 2016 when Colombia's government signed a peace deal with the FARC, the largest left–wing guerrilla group, it's gotten safer to travel, and all those species of birds in untouched forests have become an important part of a growing ecotourism industry. It brings in millions of dollars to Colombia's economy, and bird watchers - birders, as they're known – are flocking there, hoping to catch even a fleeting glimpse of species you can't find anywhere else on Earth.On the western slope of the Andes mountains, in an area with few roads in or out, lies Tatamá National Park – a vast stretch of lush rain forest, punctuated by powerfu...