The Atlantic Forest is situated over a long mountain chain that parallels the Atlantic Ocean from Rio Grande do Sul to Rio Grande do Norte. It is divided into two basic types: mountain rainforest and lower mountain rainforest.

The difference between the Amazon Forest and the Atlantic Forest are their habitats. In the Amazon Forest, the average temperatures is high all year round, approximately 26 - 27 °C and in the Atlantic Forest however, the average temperature varies from 12 - 14 °C. The soil differs as well. Those of the Atlantic Forest are ordinarily derived from crystalline rock (granite and gneiss), while those of the Amazon forest are always from tertiary sediments which are intrinsically more fertile, although they suffer the effects of leaching caused by heavy rainfall. Precipitation does not differ significantly.

The Atlantic Forest has an extraordinary bird life potential. Various groups of bird's exits within it: species of cuckoos, owls, nightjars, hummingbirds, trogons, motmots, jacamas, toucans, many woodpeckers and a great variety of passerines. As can be seen from this list, the Atlantic Forest is an ecosystem rich in winged species. Among the passeriformes, there are handsome species such as the banded cotinga, white winged cotinga, various thraupidae, especially the tanagers and the euphonies, various fringilidae, noteworthy for their colorful plumage and melodious voices.

Rails, crakes and other gallinules, as well as numerous others deserve mention. The great rufous-vented ground-cuckoo is a subspecies of the Amazon origin, occurring in the Atlantic forest of southeastern bahia and Espírito Santo.