The Red pileated Finch (Coryphospingus cucullatus), also known as the Red-crested Finch, is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae.
They have a huge range in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, and Peru, on the eastern side of the Andes. I saw them in Chapada do Guimaraes which seems to be a hot spot for them.
This looks like a wild bird that someone is putting food out for.
We were up bright and early to drive the short distance from town to the gates of the Chapada dos Guimaraes National Park. I had heard that birding groups can get in early, usually with pre-arrangement. I had been unsuccessful trying to find a guide but was hoping to find one at the park entrance. No such luck, all that was there was a ticket booth and a guard that wouldn’t let us in even at the normal time!
There was a sign that said something about the park being closed om 14, 15, 16 Sept but we were there on the 17th so I wasn’t too concerned even if we had to wait for the official opening hours.
I had been told that the “Veu de noiva” was the best place to see Blue-winged (Illigers) Macaws and to get there as early as possible. But all we could do was stand behind the boom gate and hope the birds would come to us.
And they did! They flew in a small flock and perched in a tree in the car park! I tentatively went closer and closer taking photos with each step.
Meanwhile, back at the gate, the dodgy guard taped up a new sign. He wasn’t going to let us in, even after we showed our Australian passports pleading at how far we’d come.
But the birds of the park were more sympathetic and came to the car park since we couldn’t go to them. 
The Blue-winged Macaws hung around for quite a while eating those nuts.
Some Peach-fronted Parakeets also showed up for breakfast!
After enjoying our feathered friends in the car park, we headed back to Cuiaba and returned the rental car. I was a bit worried that Hertz would call us out on the car being dirty, but there were no problems. Then we got a taxi to the bus station to get the bus to Alta Floresta.
The Red-shouldered/Hahn’s Macaw (Diopsittaca nobilis) is a small green South American parrot whose taxonomy has been changed since we were there in 2012. The red-shouldered macaw (Diopsittaca nobilis, Linnaeus 1758) is a member of the monotypic genus Diopsittaca (Ridgway 1912), one of 6 genera of Central and South American macaws. There are two distinct subspecies, D. n. nobilis (Hahn’s macaw) and D. n. cumanensis (noble macaw), and some with longer wings might represent a poorly differentiated subspecies, D. n. longipennis, which intergrades with D. n. cumanensis in central Goiás, Brazil. Previously the red-shouldered macaw was included in the genus Ara.
My photos at Chapada dos Guimaraes are pretty washed out so I had to use Wikipedia’s shots for the close ups.
They do have a large range, you can see where the northern and southern species split. They can be seen in many places in Brazil but Chapada dos Guimaraes (green dot) is the easiest place to see them as they roost in the town square at night.
Stunning close-ups of stunning birds!
Nesting pair
A very easy and scenic drive from Cuiaba (once you find you way out of the town) is Chapada dos Guimaraes National Park.
Since we had driven all the way from the Pantanal, we arrived fairly late in the day so just made a quick drive through town and went looking for some place to stay. This is the town square where Hahns Macaws roost in the evening.
After driving around, we stumbled on this small traditional style pousada with a bird in its logo. It means “Bird’s Corner” which was a good sign and it was ridiculously cheap, around $10 USD-ish!
After checking in, we hurried back to the main square to wait for the Hahns Macaws. They did not disappoint!
A pair of Chestnut-eared Aracaris were also hanging around.
I can’t seem to find this one in the book, any help appreciated!
We had dinner at one of the little restaurants in the main square, then got to bed early so we could make an early start to the park.