Labored wingbeats lift scarlet ibises from the llanos, the vast grasslands of Venezuela’s interior. During the May-through-November wet season the flooding Orinoco and its tributaries turn the llanos into an inland sea, attracting tens of thousands of waterbirds—and a growing number of watchers. A few hatos—huge ranches that double as wildlife reserves—now accommodate birders as well as cattle, giving rise to a fledgling ecotourism industry.

—From "The Orinoco: Into the Heart of Venezuela," April 1998, National Geographic magazine