According to Isabela Eseverri, Caracas has a very specific morning soundtrack. Wake early enough in Venezuela’s capital and you’ll hear the transition from crickets to birds, most notably the loud chachalacas. The bark from a neighbourhood dog sets off the rest, then, later, the macaws join in.
“Growing up, you didn’t see them much, but in the last decade their population has grown exponentially,” Eseverri says. “Because they’re an invasive species there are worries that they threaten our local bird population, but the locals adore them and feed them. You’ll be on the freeway and you’ll see 10 of these incredibly colourful birds fly by. It’s in keeping with the Latin American magical realism I love so much.”
