NEOTROPICAL
Inter-Andean Dry valleys

Up and down the valleys in between the peaks of the Andes are areas where people grow a variety of agricultural products, and settlements have followed. Depending on the geographic position, aspect and steepness, some of these valleys are drier than others. Before humans arrived, these valleys were originally dominated by arid shrubland and open woodlands. They have similarities to the Chaco scrublands further south and the thorn scrub of northern South America and the Caribbean, but because they comprise only relatively small patches, they seem to often be left out of habitat maps.

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One of the most obvious plants of the dry Andean valleys, and indeed many habitats across the Americas, is (are?) Cactus (Cacti?). 

However, there are many different genera and types of cactus, and they range in form from huge trees (below) to climbers. 

Not only are they physically important, they are also a large part of the ecology: cactus are used by wildlife such as birds for perching, and also to make nesting holes.

One of the best known groups of Cacti are the species of the genus Opuntia. Unfortunately they are mostly known due to their dominance as a weed in many arid and tropical areas around the world where they are not native. They are usually short 'shrubs', with wide cladodes (the green flattened leaf-like structures covered in spines). 

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We tend to imagine the rainforest when we think of 'Leaf-cutter Ants', but there are species of Amoimyrmex that do well in the open arid areas...

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Being an arid environment, you can expect a few lizards around, from the duller Tropidurus azurduyae....

...to the more colourful Teius teyou 'Four-toed Tegu'...

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In Bolvia, these dry valleys are a stronghold for the Red-fronted Macaw. They nest in steep cliffs alongside rivers. (You can see these at the Red-fronted Macaw Lodge). 

Alongside the large parrots on these cliffs are a smaller more common species, a split from the Monk Parakeet known as the 'Cliff Parakeet'.

In fact, the drier habitats of South America are quite rich for parrots...

Unlike the wetter rainforest, the arid vegetation doesn't provide fleshy fruits for the birds to eat. In these areas, many avian groups such as pigeons and parrots have evolved onto dry seed eaters...

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Much of these arid habitats have been replaced by towns and agriculture, however within these human habitats you can still sometimes see Guira Cuckoo, White-tipped Plantcutter, and Chaco Spot-backed Puffbird (below).

And above the dry valleys fly various large scavengers, such as Turkey Vultures and the famous Andean Condor. 

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One of the best places to stay and experience these semi-arid habitats and their wildlife in the dry inter-Andean valleys is the Red-fronted Macaw Lodge in Bolivia.