The Amazon Basin is a utopia for birdwatchers. This is home to more than 1,500 species. Over 250 of them are endemic to Brazil. Most tourists hope to catch a glimpse of macaws, parrots and toucans. One year-round resident you will easily recognize stalking along the riverbed is the great white egret. This elegant hunter stands about 3.3 feet with a wingspan up to five feet. It is also called the common egret because of its wide distribution across the Southern Hemisphere plus parts of North America and Asia.