NORTHWEST MEXICO
and SAN BLAS
From the Pacific to the Sierra Madre
24 January–3 February 2009
Tour leader: Michael Retter
photo at left: Black-throated Magpie-Jays near La Noria
In addition to some of the most
breathtaking scenery Mexico has to offer, our San Blas and Northwest
Mexico tour offers a chance to see over forty Mexican endemics, eleven
of which are found in Northwest Mexico and nowhere else. Dry coastal
thorn forest gives way to moist pine-oak woodland as we ascend the
Sierra Madre Occidental. It is here that we found one of the crown
jewels of Mexican birds, the Tufted
Jay, as well as a surprise
observation of the near-mythical Eared
Quetzal. At our hotel in the
foothills, we enjoyed multiple observations of Military Macaw while
enjoying late morning brunches. The tour concluded with a few relaxing
days based in legendary San Blas, as we explored the nearby mangroves,
lagoons, and lush tropical hillsides. Since everyone on the trip had
birded in the U.S. extensively, we elected to concentrate on endemic
birds, so consequently, we spent very little time looking at
shorebirds, gulls, and ducks.
Day 1: Arrival in Mazatlán
As luck would have it, everyone had arrived by midday, so we decided to do some late afternoon birding in nearby thornforest. A flyover Crane Hawk definitely won as bird of the day. Ruddy Ground-Doves were ubiquitous, as dozens flushed ahead of us. Thick-billed Kingbirds would be a common roadside bird over the rest of the tour, so it was good to reacquaint ourselves with them now. A pair of Curve-billed Thrashers chased one another down the dusty road. Some of the more interesting passerines we found among the mixed flocks included Lucy’s Warbler, Bell’s Vireo, and the only Green-tailed Towhees and Pyrrhuloxias of the tour. The ubiquitous, high-pitched Sinaloa Crow provided the first tick in the regional endemic column.
Day
2: La Noria to Copala
We returned to the thornforest along the La Noria road this morning, where we quickly became acquainted with some of that habitat’s more common birds. Gila Woodpeckers cackled from nearly every cactus stand, and Black-throated Magpie-Jays seemed to be screaming at us as we rounded each corner. No matter how many times I see this curly-crested, streamer-tailed, high-personality bird, it never fails to impress. After combing through many Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, we did manage to find a couple Black-capped Gnatcatchers, no small feat when in winter plumage! A flock of Rufous-bellied Chachalacas visited a feedlot, offering splendid views as they gorged themselves on seed and then ascended into a tree to digest. While we enjoyed the chachalacas, a family of Purplish-backed Jays stopped by to voice their disapproval of our presence. Long-billed Starthroat and Broad-billed and Cinnamon Hummingbirds fed on roadside flowers, and a quick bout of whistling brought a Nutting’s Flycatcher, a Sinaloa Wren, and a real Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl in to investigate. As we were getting ready to leave the area for lunch, we spotted a covey of Elegant Quail making its way through an open field. We paused to watch as they proceeded in the open and towards us, allowing great studies of their intricate plumage and crazy crests. An Antelope Jackrabbit appeared in the same field. Finally, on our drive out of the area, a flock of the world’s largest swift, the endemic White-naped Swift, appeared over the highway—definitely worth a stop!
Fortuitously, we stopped on
our way up into the foothills in a gallery
woodland along the lower reaches of the Durango Highway. A flock of
Godman’s [Scrub] Euphonias were perched right over the car. We quietly
entered the forest on a wide, flat, trail, and with only a dozen steps
or so, it became evident that we’d stumbled into the middle of an
understory flock, headlined by a very cooperative and flamboyant Fan-tailed Warbler. Still
photos just can’t do this tail-flaring
species justice; the whole back half of the bird seems as it if will
dislocate an any moment! Other interesting birds in the flock included
Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush, Rufous-backed Robin, Sinaloa Wren,
“Western” Blue Bunting, and a stunning male Black-capped Vireo.
After checking into our hotel and enjoying its famous coconut pie, it was time to do some foothills birding. Streak-backed Orioles were all over the place, feeding in the introduced bottlebrush, which thankfully for us, was in full bloom. Before long, the raucous calls of Military Macaws could be heard echoing through the valleys below, but where were they? A minute or more later, we finally caught sight of a dozen rainbow-colored birds as they winged their way across the dry foothills in the distance—and directly towards us! Eventually they passed nearly overhead, and with the setting sun to our backs, we were even able to discern the eye color of these magnificent and powerful birds. After that experience, it was time for dinner.
Day 3: Upper Durango Highway
Our first (somewhat chilly) stop this morning was on a side road into some nice pine forest, where Eared Quetzal had been reported in the not-too-distant past. Right out of the car, an Arizona Woodpecker appeared on a pine overhead. A male Eastern Bluebird sang from a small snag, and a Black-headed Siskin fed on some seeding flowerheads just off the road. We were now high enough for White-eared Hummingbirds, and they were common the rest of the day at and above this elevation. Having dipped on the quetzal here, we tried at another known spot. The birds were really hopping here, and we spent a good hour and a half combing through a massive mixed flock, the core of which seemed to be a large group of the endemic (and handsome) White-striped Woodcreeper. While the dozen or so woodcreepers fed at mid-levels with Hepatic Tanagers and Mexican Chickadees, the treetops were full of smaller birds. Warblers included Red-faced, Audubon’s, Grace’s, Hermit, Townsend’s, Nashville, Crescent-chested, Black-and-white, and some with more exotic names like Painted and Slate-throated Whitestarts. Hutton’s and Cassin’s Vireos were also present, as was the odd but lovely Olive Warbler, which is neither olive-colored nor a warbler!
By late morning, we’d reached our main stop of the day, Barranca Rancho Liebre, known to most of the birding world as “the Tufted Jay spot”. The gully next to the parking spot is often home to a pair of Red-headed Tanagers, and today was no exception. A male Blue-throated Hummingbird patrolled the flowerbanks. A short hike above the highway yielded a small family of Tufted Jays with very little effort. The way the expressive crest flops around and contracts and compresses as a bird moves its head is quite remarkable. From the velvet blue upperparts to the penetrating yellow eyes and snow white tail band, this is a species that truly must be experienced in person! We then continued up the trail toward the edge of the canyon (barranca), but I stopped dead in my tracks when I head a loud, piercing wheeeee-chuck echo through the ravine. It was an Eared Quetzal for sure, but where was it?! A male Mountain Trogon appeared and had our hearts racing, but back to the search! A couple minutes later, the bird cackled as it flew up the creek and out of sight. We quickly followed and before long, found ourselves marveling at this bird (and its namesake “ears”) through the scope at point blank range for a good 45 minutes. Just finding one is hard enough, but getting views of its namesake ears is something that even many of the most dedicated Mexico birders never experience!
We left the quetzal in peace and continued up the creek, stopping at a dark, wet seep where some pseudo-cloud forest vegetation exists. We could hear something on the ground, but had little more than glimpses of a glowing white throat. A little playblack, though, produced full-body views of a pair of Green-striped Brush-finches. Meanwhile, a flash of yellow off to the side came into focus as a sprightly Golden-browed Warbler. We took a break to eat a picnic lunch near the old orchard just below the south rim of the canyon and were rewarded with our first sighting of the local and endemic “Gray-eared” Red Warbler. Once at the lip of the canyon, we positioned ourselves on a comfortable rock, offering breathtaking views of the canyon below any a good chance to see any distant flocks of Thick-billed Parrots. We also made sure we could see the superfluous clumps of fruit hanging from the nearby trees, just in case an Aztec Thrush decided to stop by. It seems we’d used up our luck on the quetzal, but we did enjoy having very close views of Hepatic Tanager, Gray Silky, and Townsend’s Warbler as they fed on fruit and/or nectar in the brightly colored epiphytes. All the while, we were serenaded by the other-worldly songs of countersinging Brown-backed Solitaires. Too cool! Both American and White-throated Robins appeared on our hike back down.
On the way back to Copala, we had dinner at a good German restaurant in Capilla de Taxte, where a flock of ~300 White-naped Swifts circled and screamed overhead in the waning light of the evening.
Day 4: Durango Highway
We decided to take advantage of the early morning cool in the lower elevations today and started along the Pánuco Road. Unfortunately, it was relatively quite this morning. That said, we were interrupted by groups of squawking Military Macaws and Orange-fronted Parakeets on a regular basis all morning. We had our first views of the handsome and endemic Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrow here.
We enjoyed brunch on the hotel restaurant terrace, which overlooks a large valley full of flowering and fruiting trees. Orange-fronted Parakeets, Yellow-winged Caciques, Masked Tityras, and Black-throated Magpie-Jays were in view nearly all the time. A pair of Military Macaws flew over the valley and over the open-air restaurant and a Canyon Wren sang from below.
With the heat of the day, we ascended higher into the mountains. Though we didn’t find any more Tufted Jays, a small group of Steller’s Jays passed by the highway. We stopped at a small park overlooking a wide canyon, where blooming epiphytes attracted a small flock of Scott’s Orioles. A pair of Common Ravens played overhead.
Nearby, we decided to explore a small side road, where we quickly detected a very vocal flock of Evening Grosbeaks. Most of our time here was spent sifting through a large mixed flock. New species found here included Bridled Titmouse, Magnificent Hummingbird, “Brown-throated” Wren, and Golden-crowned Warbler.
Finally, we found a leaky hose along the Petaca Road, which provided enough water that the hillside below it was covered with flowers and the seedheads of flowers past. Black-vented, Hooded, and Streak-backed Orioles, Black-headed Siskins, Lesser Goldfinches, Yellow Grosbeaks, and Rufous, Berylline, and Calliope Hummingbirds seemed to glow in the golden rays of the late afternoon sun.
Day 5: Lower Durango Highway and San Blas
Yesterday’s trip to the Pánuco Road was slow, but it did turn up an immense stand of bottlebrush later in the day. We returned to that location at dawn, which was a great decision. We immediately found a family of Grayish Saltators feeding on (whole) flowers and young leaves; it included some recently-fledged birds, which allowed us to compare the different field marks (like eyebrow color) of the two plumages. The flowers' nectar attracted a multitude of birds: Lazuli, Painted, and Varied Buntings, Black-headed and Yellow Grosbeaks, Blue Mockingbirds, Summer Tanagers, Streak-backed Orioles, Black-throated Gray Warblers, and Tropical Parulas, among others. After hearing them all over the lower elevations the last couple days, we finally had nice views of a pair of Happy Wrens in a roadside thicket. At one point when trying to lure in small passerines with some whistling, a real pygmy-owl replied—a Colima Pygmy-Owl, which came in very closely. A female Golden-crowned Emerald sat obligingly by the roadside, and with some patience we all managed views of the impressive, long-tailed male. And of course, the macaws wouldn’t let us leave without doing a couple more spectacular flybys.
After checking out of the hotel, we headed back down the highway toward the coast, stopping again at the galley forest we hit on the way up. Today we marveled at a pair of Pale-billed Woodpeckers as they interacted with one another, fully erecting their ridiculous red crests. A pair of Lineated Woodpeckers was also simultaneously visible, allowing direct comparisons of these large, look-alike woodpeckers.
Multiple stops in lowland thornforest failed to produce the notoriously difficult Flammulated Flycatcher, but we did find a huge ctenosaur (iguana) lounging in the middle of a large pipe cactus.
We the drove on south toward San Blas, noting Chihuahuan Ravens, Short-tailed Hawks, Great Black-Hawks, White-tailed Kites, Zone-tailed Hawks, and Crane Hawks along the way. Stopping at the ponds just outside of San Blas added dozens of new birds to the trip list. Highlights included Whimbrel, Roseate Spoonbill, and Wood Stork.
Day 6: San Blas (Singayta, sewage ponds, La Tovara)
We started in the moist lowlands this morning, walking along the road through Singayta. We scoured the swampy areas for empids, White-throated Flycatcher in particular, but we only turned up Least and “Western” Flycatchers. A “Mexican” Squirrel Cuckoo appeared, showing off its rufous-below tail and giving a call that seemed odd to those familiar with the more widespread subspecies. A comical Golden-cheeked Woodpecker fed on a hanging vine nearly within arms reach, and both Fan-tailed Warblers and Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrushes bounced around along the shaded rocks littering the jungle floor. Blue-black Grassquits and Cinnamon-rumped Seedeaters fed in the grass along the edge of the cattle pastures, and we remarked how this rusty, plain-winged bird, sometimes considered the nominate race of White-collared Seedeater, looks nothing at all like the others.
A midday trip to the now neutrally-scented sewage ponds yielded close-up views at a number of sought-after species, like Northern Jaçana, Cinnamon Teal, and Least Grebe.
After a short siesta, we met our boat captain for a pleasant trip into the mangroves. Mangrove Swallows were evident right away as they passed a few feet overhead. We first went to a small freshwater inlet where the captain had recently seen Rufous-necked Wood-Rails. We didn’t find any wood-rails, but we did have amazing views of Rufous-backed Robin, Yellow-winged Cacique, Northern Waterthrush, American Redstart, and Wilson’s, Nashville, Black-and-white, and “Mangrove” Warblers as they came in to bathe and drink.
In transit to the next location, we saw Osprey, Semipalmated Plover, Tricolored Heron, and Snowy Egret. We made a few more stops for the wood-rail, but still, no luck. Green Kingfishers hunted from perched just above the above. A Common Black-Hawk perched in a dead snag as he eyed the tangled roots below for frogs. Anhingas snaked through the water, sometimes little more than a bill visible to us air-breathers. As the sun’s rays slanted, both Black- and Yellow-crowned Night-Herons began to appear, not long followed by Bare-throated Tiger-Herons and Boat-billed Herons. Right at sunset, we tried one last time for Rufous-necked Wood-Rail; we managed to pull a calling bird in very close, but it refused to come into the open. Around the corner, a great surprise: a singing Bare-throated Tiger-Heron in the top of a dead tree! A Bat Falcon blasted overhead at top speed, unfortunately ensuring that not everyone managed to see it. Soon it was quickly getting dark (this is the tropics, after all), and the captain’s powerful spotlight trained on some Limpkins, just coming out to feed. By now, Pauraques and fishing bats were feeding over the water. When fully dark, we started back to the dock, and the most anticipated part of the boat ride was realized for many. Northern Potoos were now out on their feeding perches, and we enjoyed spectacular views of a good dozen seemingly giant birds—a great way to end the day.
Day 7: Cerro San Juan
Just about an hour south of San Blas is Cerro San Juan, an old volcanic massif with just enough elevation that it’s the northernmost outpost in western Mexico for number of species. Hummingbirds seemed to be the first birds active today, fighting one another for the best spots among the roadside flowerbanks. As is often the case, one or two feisty Rufous Hummingbirds tried to chase off all the others: Costa’s, Broad-billed, Berylline, White-eared, and the diminutive Bumblebee. The sun warmed the tops of the trees, and birds appeared on cue to eat the “resurrected” insects. A Golden Vireo was the first to appear, though we were tipped off to its location by the bird’s song. Warblers dominated the treetops: Townsend’s, Grace’s, Red-faced, Crescent-chested, and Black-throated Gray, to name just a few. Gray-crowned Woodpeckers “sang” from across the valley, but they were too far away to be interested in my iPod. Elegant Euphonias did the same. We stopped at a small clearing to look for more hummingbirds and were pleased to find a pair of cooperative Rufous-capped Warbler.
By mid-morning we
were at the summit of the road, and coming up on Rancho La Noria. I had
a hot tip that there was a Spotted Wren nest next to the entrance gate,
but they seemed to have abandoned the site. Bummer. There was a
very entertaining pair of Acorn Woodpeckers, though. We descended onto
the southeast side of the mountain and immediately noticed a change in
habitat. The valleys were now lush and dark—just what we needed if we
were to find our main target for the day. One of the gullies was
particularly packed with flowers, so we positioned ourselves there, and
within a minute or two, a male Mexican
Woodnymph appeared out of nowhere, hovering just in front of
us! We found his preferred perched and enjoyed great views of him, a
glittering vision of purple, steel blue, and lime, for the next half
hour or so. Upslope, we heard some very odd calls, nothing any of us
had ever heard before. They turned out to be coming from a very shy
troop of Green Jays. We all agreed that between their odd behavior and
strange vocalizations, there was something interesting about this
population of birds. Much of midday and the early afternoon was spent
trolling for Spotted Wren, but no luck. Some cute little Tufted
Flycatchers kept us company, though, and we found quite a few
Magnificent Swallowtails, an impressive endemic butterfly species.
On the way back to San Blas, we stopped to walk an abandoned road through the thornforest. Here we had great views of Masked Tityras and Black-throated Magpie-Jays as they fed in a fruiting tree at eye level. Sinaloa and Happy Wrens hopped around in the understory, offering both visual and aural comparisons of this potentially confusing pair.
Day 8: San Blas (Tecuitata and La Bajada)
We planned to bird the humid, low-elevation foothills today, so we were up before first light in order to beat the hot midday sun. A Mottled Owl sang from a large tree in the hotel’s parking lot—a good sign. Recent bulldozer work at Tecuitata meant that we had to hike in the last kilometer or so, but this proved fortuitous, as a Bright-rumped Atilla had set up territory in the mango plantation along the way. At the edge of the shade coffee plantation, a fruiting tree just downslope attracted Citreoline Trogons, Rose-throated Becards, and White-throated Robins. Gray-crowned Woodpeckers again called off in the distance but were too far away to respond to playback. We heard scratching on the ground just off the road, so we quietly walked in under the coffee bushes to see what was there. Most of the noise was made by a small group of Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrows as they tossed leaves aside, towhee-like. A Red-breasted Chat passed by quickly, but all had seen this bird in the past, so we didn’t concentrate on refinding it. On the walk back to the car, a Russet-crowned Motmot dashed across the road and, thankfully, up into a sparsely-leaved Cecropia tree. Below, another group of ground-sparrows appeared, but this time in the open after some pygmy-owl imitation. Soon, a real Colima Pygmy-Owl responded and flew in to check us out. While driving back to the hotel for lunch and a siesta we noticed that the foothills just south of San Blas were shrouded in clouds, which made clear our afternoon birding decision: we would head up into the clouds and bird at La Bajada, another shade-grown coffee plantation.
But first, a large congregation of water birds at a
freshwater inlet along the beach drew our attention. There we had
amazing views of Heermann’s Gulls and Royal and Gull-billed Terns
bathing in and drinking the fresh water.
As we suspected, the cloudy conditions made for excellent birding. La Bajada’s famous fig tree was with crawling with birds, mostly Citreoline Trogons and Rufous-backed and White-throated Robins. We watched the tree for quite awhile but were eventually distracted by a loud crash from within a group of banana trees. We walked over to investigate, and it turned out to be a rather surly Ivory-billed Woodcreeper, none too pleased with our appearance there. In the nearby rocky tangles, we found multiple Fan-tailed Warblers. Amazons started calling all around us, and eventually we realized they were perched, but we just couldn’t locate them. Eventually, John spotted one on a bare branch, and we were soon enjoying full-frame scope views of a pair of Lilac-crowned Parrots—seeing them in flight is hard enough, but to have such amazing looks of perched birds was remarkable! A flock of Mexican Parrotlets kept flying up and down the valley, but they wouldn’t stop for us. On the way back down to the coast, we found another Bright-rumped Atillla.
Day 9: San Blas (La Bajada and Singayta)
Impressed with the activity at La Bajada the day before, we decided to spend the morning there today. And what a good decision it proved to be. Crested Guans were calling as we stepped out of the car at the fig free, where a group of Rufous-bellied Chachalacas was gorging itself on ripe figs. From the thicket next to the car we heard the chattering of a Red-crowned Ant-Tanager, and soon enough they passed across the road affording nice views. A Greenish Elaenia and a Plumbeous Vireo fed just overhead. Up the road, a stunning male “Coppery-tailed” Elegant Trogon appeared and paused in the scope for us. A Gray-crowned Woodpecker again called from across the valley, but this one flew right in to the recording…at last, a look at this West Mexican endemic! The parrotlets frustrated us again, always flying by fast, overhead and backlit. Equally frustrating were the half a dozen Ruddy Quail-Doves we’d flushed off the road; they always saw us before we saw them. Further up the hill, we went to my Rosy Thrush-Tanager spot, and although one did call in response to playback, it wouldn’t show itself. A Lesser Ground-Cuckoo sang from a distant, dry hilltop.
We took a side trail up into a dense planting of banana, when I heard a strange but familiar sound. A Flammulated Flycatcher was calling up ahead, but here?! As it turned out, the top of the hill was much drier and supported a nice stand of thornforest. With persistence, we all were able to note the flycatcher’s field marks, from its odd bill and pale spectacles to the cinnamon-edged wings and ever-so-slightly-streaked breast. A Colima Pygmy-Owl flew in to see what all the whistling was about. Just then, Nancy saw a large something move out of the corner of her eye—it was a juvenile San Blas Jay feeding on a banana! We watched a family of jays as it quietly moved through the area, munching ripe bananas along the way. All the while, the pygmy-owl hadn’t stopped singing, and it attracted the attention of a Golden-crowned Emerald and an irate Mexican Hermit. The hermit would only dash through quickly, never pausing for a decent look. Back at the car, some airborne whistling alerted us to the presence of a singing Black Hawk-Eagle, here at the new western extent of its range.
We birded a side road in the marshy lowlands
just before lunch, but the sun really kept the bird activity low.
White-throated Flycatchers again alluded us, but we managed to find a Ruddy-breasted Seedeater, some
Willow Flycatchers, and a tree full of seemingly invisible
parrotlets. We spent over half an hour trying to find them, but lunch
(and air conditioning) were calling.
White-throated Flycatcher, Mexican Parrotlet, and Collared Forest-Falcon were the main targets this evening, so we opted to return to Singayta. Again, the only empids we found were “Westerns” and Leasts. Parrotlets were not even heard, though we did enjoy prolonged studies of Orange-fronted Parakeet and Lineated Woodpecker. Black-chinned Hummingbird was new for the trip. A Great Black-Hawk flew over, and as the temperature started to drop towards evening, a Collared Forest-Falcon began to call. Try as we might, the best we could do was to get some prolonged flight views of the falcon. Back at the entrance we found a flock of handsome Stripe-headed Sparrows. By now we were exhausted—time for dinner and bed. Over dinner we ran into some other birders who told us we’d missed a triple-digit flock of Thick-billed Parrots by only a day at the Barranca, but they missed the quetzal. Still, with our great luck with San Blas Jay today (which is rare this far north, contrary to its name), we felt pretty lucky.
Day
10: San Blas (La Bajada) to Mazatlán
Over dinner the previous night we had a discussion regarding the next day’s birding plans. Did we want to go back out on the boat to look for wood-rails or back to La Bajada? The decision was unanimous, so we returned to La Bajada. Our luck improved markedly today with the Ruddy Quail-Doves, as we had multiple scope views of them both walking the road ahead of us and perched off to the side. The Lilac-crowned Parrots were in the same place, and thankfully, so were the (now perched) Mexican Parrotlets! Even through the scope, it’s amazing how much these little guys look like leaves when they’re not moving, but then again, that’s the idea!
We walked back up into the banana plantation to try for a better view of the hermit, and although he was still there, singing away, we never managed to see him perched. The San Blas Jays, Flammulated Flycatcher, and Colima Pygmy-Owl were all still there as well. The Rosy Thrush-Tanager continued to taunt us, calling just often enough to keep us interested but never singing and never coming out to where we could see it. Back at the car, we found a female Flame-colored Tanager and a Russet-crowned Motmot. Unfortunately, we had to get going if we were to make it to Mazatlán with time to scope out the coast.
After checking into the hotel and before dinner, we stopped at the Booby Rocks in Mazatlán, where we found bucketloads of Blue-footed Boobies coming in to roost. On the nearby waterfront, we found a group of gulls and terns that included Elegant Tern and Bonaparte’s Gull.
A delicious meal of authentic tacos al pastor, tamales, and horchata was the perfect end to an exciting tour, but we all were wishing we had just a couple more days...
BIRD LIST
This list includes all the bird species that were recorded by at least one of us. Taxonomy and nomenclature closely follow Howell's Checklist of the Birds of Mexico and all subsequent AOU supplements. Quotation marks denote a possible future split. For instance, "Eastern" Blue Bunting means that the eastern form may one day be split from Blue Bunting. Brackets denote the larger taxon that a species has been split from. For instance,Galápagos [Audubon's] Shearwater means that Galápagos Shearwater was once considered a subspecies of Audubon's Shearwater (and may still be by some authorities). Parentheses denote an alternate name used by some checklists.
h = heard only
^ = endemic to northern Middle America
* = endemic to Mexico
(NW) = endemic to Northwestern Mexico
(W) = endemic to the Pacific (western) slope of northern Middle America
Day 1: Arrival in Mazatlán
As luck would have it, everyone had arrived by midday, so we decided to do some late afternoon birding in nearby thornforest. A flyover Crane Hawk definitely won as bird of the day. Ruddy Ground-Doves were ubiquitous, as dozens flushed ahead of us. Thick-billed Kingbirds would be a common roadside bird over the rest of the tour, so it was good to reacquaint ourselves with them now. A pair of Curve-billed Thrashers chased one another down the dusty road. Some of the more interesting passerines we found among the mixed flocks included Lucy’s Warbler, Bell’s Vireo, and the only Green-tailed Towhees and Pyrrhuloxias of the tour. The ubiquitous, high-pitched Sinaloa Crow provided the first tick in the regional endemic column.
Day
2: La Noria to Copala We returned to the thornforest along the La Noria road this morning, where we quickly became acquainted with some of that habitat’s more common birds. Gila Woodpeckers cackled from nearly every cactus stand, and Black-throated Magpie-Jays seemed to be screaming at us as we rounded each corner. No matter how many times I see this curly-crested, streamer-tailed, high-personality bird, it never fails to impress. After combing through many Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, we did manage to find a couple Black-capped Gnatcatchers, no small feat when in winter plumage! A flock of Rufous-bellied Chachalacas visited a feedlot, offering splendid views as they gorged themselves on seed and then ascended into a tree to digest. While we enjoyed the chachalacas, a family of Purplish-backed Jays stopped by to voice their disapproval of our presence. Long-billed Starthroat and Broad-billed and Cinnamon Hummingbirds fed on roadside flowers, and a quick bout of whistling brought a Nutting’s Flycatcher, a Sinaloa Wren, and a real Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl in to investigate. As we were getting ready to leave the area for lunch, we spotted a covey of Elegant Quail making its way through an open field. We paused to watch as they proceeded in the open and towards us, allowing great studies of their intricate plumage and crazy crests. An Antelope Jackrabbit appeared in the same field. Finally, on our drive out of the area, a flock of the world’s largest swift, the endemic White-naped Swift, appeared over the highway—definitely worth a stop!
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| Plain-capped Starthroat |
adult Purplish-backed Jay |
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| male Elegant Quail | Rufous-bellied Chachalacas |
Fortuitously, we stopped on
our way up into the foothills in a gallery
woodland along the lower reaches of the Durango Highway. A flock of
Godman’s [Scrub] Euphonias were perched right over the car. We quietly
entered the forest on a wide, flat, trail, and with only a dozen steps
or so, it became evident that we’d stumbled into the middle of an
understory flock, headlined by a very cooperative and flamboyant Fan-tailed Warbler. Still
photos just can’t do this tail-flaring
species justice; the whole back half of the bird seems as it if will
dislocate an any moment! Other interesting birds in the flock included
Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush, Rufous-backed Robin, Sinaloa Wren,
“Western” Blue Bunting, and a stunning male Black-capped Vireo.After checking into our hotel and enjoying its famous coconut pie, it was time to do some foothills birding. Streak-backed Orioles were all over the place, feeding in the introduced bottlebrush, which thankfully for us, was in full bloom. Before long, the raucous calls of Military Macaws could be heard echoing through the valleys below, but where were they? A minute or more later, we finally caught sight of a dozen rainbow-colored birds as they winged their way across the dry foothills in the distance—and directly towards us! Eventually they passed nearly overhead, and with the setting sun to our backs, we were even able to discern the eye color of these magnificent and powerful birds. After that experience, it was time for dinner.
 |
 |
| Military Macaws |
Black-capped Vireo |
Day 3: Upper Durango Highway
Our first (somewhat chilly) stop this morning was on a side road into some nice pine forest, where Eared Quetzal had been reported in the not-too-distant past. Right out of the car, an Arizona Woodpecker appeared on a pine overhead. A male Eastern Bluebird sang from a small snag, and a Black-headed Siskin fed on some seeding flowerheads just off the road. We were now high enough for White-eared Hummingbirds, and they were common the rest of the day at and above this elevation. Having dipped on the quetzal here, we tried at another known spot. The birds were really hopping here, and we spent a good hour and a half combing through a massive mixed flock, the core of which seemed to be a large group of the endemic (and handsome) White-striped Woodcreeper. While the dozen or so woodcreepers fed at mid-levels with Hepatic Tanagers and Mexican Chickadees, the treetops were full of smaller birds. Warblers included Red-faced, Audubon’s, Grace’s, Hermit, Townsend’s, Nashville, Crescent-chested, Black-and-white, and some with more exotic names like Painted and Slate-throated Whitestarts. Hutton’s and Cassin’s Vireos were also present, as was the odd but lovely Olive Warbler, which is neither olive-colored nor a warbler!
 |
 |
| White-striped Woodcreeper |
Olive
Warbler |
By late morning, we’d reached our main stop of the day, Barranca Rancho Liebre, known to most of the birding world as “the Tufted Jay spot”. The gully next to the parking spot is often home to a pair of Red-headed Tanagers, and today was no exception. A male Blue-throated Hummingbird patrolled the flowerbanks. A short hike above the highway yielded a small family of Tufted Jays with very little effort. The way the expressive crest flops around and contracts and compresses as a bird moves its head is quite remarkable. From the velvet blue upperparts to the penetrating yellow eyes and snow white tail band, this is a species that truly must be experienced in person! We then continued up the trail toward the edge of the canyon (barranca), but I stopped dead in my tracks when I head a loud, piercing wheeeee-chuck echo through the ravine. It was an Eared Quetzal for sure, but where was it?! A male Mountain Trogon appeared and had our hearts racing, but back to the search! A couple minutes later, the bird cackled as it flew up the creek and out of sight. We quickly followed and before long, found ourselves marveling at this bird (and its namesake “ears”) through the scope at point blank range for a good 45 minutes. Just finding one is hard enough, but getting views of its namesake ears is something that even many of the most dedicated Mexico birders never experience!
 |
 |
| Tufted Jay |
Red-headed Tanager |
 |
 |
| subadult male Eared Quetzal |
same
bird, with "ears" visible |
We left the quetzal in peace and continued up the creek, stopping at a dark, wet seep where some pseudo-cloud forest vegetation exists. We could hear something on the ground, but had little more than glimpses of a glowing white throat. A little playblack, though, produced full-body views of a pair of Green-striped Brush-finches. Meanwhile, a flash of yellow off to the side came into focus as a sprightly Golden-browed Warbler. We took a break to eat a picnic lunch near the old orchard just below the south rim of the canyon and were rewarded with our first sighting of the local and endemic “Gray-eared” Red Warbler. Once at the lip of the canyon, we positioned ourselves on a comfortable rock, offering breathtaking views of the canyon below any a good chance to see any distant flocks of Thick-billed Parrots. We also made sure we could see the superfluous clumps of fruit hanging from the nearby trees, just in case an Aztec Thrush decided to stop by. It seems we’d used up our luck on the quetzal, but we did enjoy having very close views of Hepatic Tanager, Gray Silky, and Townsend’s Warbler as they fed on fruit and/or nectar in the brightly colored epiphytes. All the while, we were serenaded by the other-worldly songs of countersinging Brown-backed Solitaires. Too cool! Both American and White-throated Robins appeared on our hike back down.
On the way back to Copala, we had dinner at a good German restaurant in Capilla de Taxte, where a flock of ~300 White-naped Swifts circled and screamed overhead in the waning light of the evening.
 |
 |
| Golden-browed Warbler |
"Gray-eared"
Red Warbler |
 |
 |
| Townsend's Warbler |
White-throated Robin |
Day 4: Durango Highway
We decided to take advantage of the early morning cool in the lower elevations today and started along the Pánuco Road. Unfortunately, it was relatively quite this morning. That said, we were interrupted by groups of squawking Military Macaws and Orange-fronted Parakeets on a regular basis all morning. We had our first views of the handsome and endemic Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrow here.
We enjoyed brunch on the hotel restaurant terrace, which overlooks a large valley full of flowering and fruiting trees. Orange-fronted Parakeets, Yellow-winged Caciques, Masked Tityras, and Black-throated Magpie-Jays were in view nearly all the time. A pair of Military Macaws flew over the valley and over the open-air restaurant and a Canyon Wren sang from below.
With the heat of the day, we ascended higher into the mountains. Though we didn’t find any more Tufted Jays, a small group of Steller’s Jays passed by the highway. We stopped at a small park overlooking a wide canyon, where blooming epiphytes attracted a small flock of Scott’s Orioles. A pair of Common Ravens played overhead.
Nearby, we decided to explore a small side road, where we quickly detected a very vocal flock of Evening Grosbeaks. Most of our time here was spent sifting through a large mixed flock. New species found here included Bridled Titmouse, Magnificent Hummingbird, “Brown-throated” Wren, and Golden-crowned Warbler.
Finally, we found a leaky hose along the Petaca Road, which provided enough water that the hillside below it was covered with flowers and the seedheads of flowers past. Black-vented, Hooded, and Streak-backed Orioles, Black-headed Siskins, Lesser Goldfinches, Yellow Grosbeaks, and Rufous, Berylline, and Calliope Hummingbirds seemed to glow in the golden rays of the late afternoon sun.
 |
 |
| Bridled Titmouse |
typical
view from the Durango Highway |
 |
 |
| Black-headed Siskin |
Black-vented Oriole |
Day 5: Lower Durango Highway and San Blas
Yesterday’s trip to the Pánuco Road was slow, but it did turn up an immense stand of bottlebrush later in the day. We returned to that location at dawn, which was a great decision. We immediately found a family of Grayish Saltators feeding on (whole) flowers and young leaves; it included some recently-fledged birds, which allowed us to compare the different field marks (like eyebrow color) of the two plumages. The flowers' nectar attracted a multitude of birds: Lazuli, Painted, and Varied Buntings, Black-headed and Yellow Grosbeaks, Blue Mockingbirds, Summer Tanagers, Streak-backed Orioles, Black-throated Gray Warblers, and Tropical Parulas, among others. After hearing them all over the lower elevations the last couple days, we finally had nice views of a pair of Happy Wrens in a roadside thicket. At one point when trying to lure in small passerines with some whistling, a real pygmy-owl replied—a Colima Pygmy-Owl, which came in very closely. A female Golden-crowned Emerald sat obligingly by the roadside, and with some patience we all managed views of the impressive, long-tailed male. And of course, the macaws wouldn’t let us leave without doing a couple more spectacular flybys.
After checking out of the hotel, we headed back down the highway toward the coast, stopping again at the galley forest we hit on the way up. Today we marveled at a pair of Pale-billed Woodpeckers as they interacted with one another, fully erecting their ridiculous red crests. A pair of Lineated Woodpeckers was also simultaneously visible, allowing direct comparisons of these large, look-alike woodpeckers.
 |
 |
| adult Grayish Saltator |
juv. Grayish Saltator |
 |
 |
| male Varied Bunting |
female
Golden-crowned Emerald |
 |
 |
| Pale-billed Woodpeckers with crests flared |
female Yellow Grosbeak |
Multiple stops in lowland thornforest failed to produce the notoriously difficult Flammulated Flycatcher, but we did find a huge ctenosaur (iguana) lounging in the middle of a large pipe cactus.
We the drove on south toward San Blas, noting Chihuahuan Ravens, Short-tailed Hawks, Great Black-Hawks, White-tailed Kites, Zone-tailed Hawks, and Crane Hawks along the way. Stopping at the ponds just outside of San Blas added dozens of new birds to the trip list. Highlights included Whimbrel, Roseate Spoonbill, and Wood Stork.
Day 6: San Blas (Singayta, sewage ponds, La Tovara)
We started in the moist lowlands this morning, walking along the road through Singayta. We scoured the swampy areas for empids, White-throated Flycatcher in particular, but we only turned up Least and “Western” Flycatchers. A “Mexican” Squirrel Cuckoo appeared, showing off its rufous-below tail and giving a call that seemed odd to those familiar with the more widespread subspecies. A comical Golden-cheeked Woodpecker fed on a hanging vine nearly within arms reach, and both Fan-tailed Warblers and Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrushes bounced around along the shaded rocks littering the jungle floor. Blue-black Grassquits and Cinnamon-rumped Seedeaters fed in the grass along the edge of the cattle pastures, and we remarked how this rusty, plain-winged bird, sometimes considered the nominate race of White-collared Seedeater, looks nothing at all like the others.
 |
 |
| Cinnamon-rumped Seedeater |
Golden-cheeked
Woodpecker |
A midday trip to the now neutrally-scented sewage ponds yielded close-up views at a number of sought-after species, like Northern Jaçana, Cinnamon Teal, and Least Grebe.
After a short siesta, we met our boat captain for a pleasant trip into the mangroves. Mangrove Swallows were evident right away as they passed a few feet overhead. We first went to a small freshwater inlet where the captain had recently seen Rufous-necked Wood-Rails. We didn’t find any wood-rails, but we did have amazing views of Rufous-backed Robin, Yellow-winged Cacique, Northern Waterthrush, American Redstart, and Wilson’s, Nashville, Black-and-white, and “Mangrove” Warblers as they came in to bathe and drink.
In transit to the next location, we saw Osprey, Semipalmated Plover, Tricolored Heron, and Snowy Egret. We made a few more stops for the wood-rail, but still, no luck. Green Kingfishers hunted from perched just above the above. A Common Black-Hawk perched in a dead snag as he eyed the tangled roots below for frogs. Anhingas snaked through the water, sometimes little more than a bill visible to us air-breathers. As the sun’s rays slanted, both Black- and Yellow-crowned Night-Herons began to appear, not long followed by Bare-throated Tiger-Herons and Boat-billed Herons. Right at sunset, we tried one last time for Rufous-necked Wood-Rail; we managed to pull a calling bird in very close, but it refused to come into the open. Around the corner, a great surprise: a singing Bare-throated Tiger-Heron in the top of a dead tree! A Bat Falcon blasted overhead at top speed, unfortunately ensuring that not everyone managed to see it. Soon it was quickly getting dark (this is the tropics, after all), and the captain’s powerful spotlight trained on some Limpkins, just coming out to feed. By now, Pauraques and fishing bats were feeding over the water. When fully dark, we started back to the dock, and the most anticipated part of the boat ride was realized for many. Northern Potoos were now out on their feeding perches, and we enjoyed spectacular views of a good dozen seemingly giant birds—a great way to end the day.
 |
 |
| Bare-throated Tiger-Heron |
singing
tiger-heron |
 |
 |
| Northern Potoo |
Northern Potoo |
Day 7: Cerro San Juan
Just about an hour south of San Blas is Cerro San Juan, an old volcanic massif with just enough elevation that it’s the northernmost outpost in western Mexico for number of species. Hummingbirds seemed to be the first birds active today, fighting one another for the best spots among the roadside flowerbanks. As is often the case, one or two feisty Rufous Hummingbirds tried to chase off all the others: Costa’s, Broad-billed, Berylline, White-eared, and the diminutive Bumblebee. The sun warmed the tops of the trees, and birds appeared on cue to eat the “resurrected” insects. A Golden Vireo was the first to appear, though we were tipped off to its location by the bird’s song. Warblers dominated the treetops: Townsend’s, Grace’s, Red-faced, Crescent-chested, and Black-throated Gray, to name just a few. Gray-crowned Woodpeckers “sang” from across the valley, but they were too far away to be interested in my iPod. Elegant Euphonias did the same. We stopped at a small clearing to look for more hummingbirds and were pleased to find a pair of cooperative Rufous-capped Warbler.
By mid-morning we
were at the summit of the road, and coming up on Rancho La Noria. I had
a hot tip that there was a Spotted Wren nest next to the entrance gate,
but they seemed to have abandoned the site. Bummer. There was a
very entertaining pair of Acorn Woodpeckers, though. We descended onto
the southeast side of the mountain and immediately noticed a change in
habitat. The valleys were now lush and dark—just what we needed if we
were to find our main target for the day. One of the gullies was
particularly packed with flowers, so we positioned ourselves there, and
within a minute or two, a male Mexican
Woodnymph appeared out of nowhere, hovering just in front of
us! We found his preferred perched and enjoyed great views of him, a
glittering vision of purple, steel blue, and lime, for the next half
hour or so. Upslope, we heard some very odd calls, nothing any of us
had ever heard before. They turned out to be coming from a very shy
troop of Green Jays. We all agreed that between their odd behavior and
strange vocalizations, there was something interesting about this
population of birds. Much of midday and the early afternoon was spent
trolling for Spotted Wren, but no luck. Some cute little Tufted
Flycatchers kept us company, though, and we found quite a few
Magnificent Swallowtails, an impressive endemic butterfly species.On the way back to San Blas, we stopped to walk an abandoned road through the thornforest. Here we had great views of Masked Tityras and Black-throated Magpie-Jays as they fed in a fruiting tree at eye level. Sinaloa and Happy Wrens hopped around in the understory, offering both visual and aural comparisons of this potentially confusing pair.
 |
 |
| Golden Vireo |
Grace's
Warbler |
 |
 |
| Mexican Woodnymph |
female Masked Tityra |
Day 8: San Blas (Tecuitata and La Bajada)
We planned to bird the humid, low-elevation foothills today, so we were up before first light in order to beat the hot midday sun. A Mottled Owl sang from a large tree in the hotel’s parking lot—a good sign. Recent bulldozer work at Tecuitata meant that we had to hike in the last kilometer or so, but this proved fortuitous, as a Bright-rumped Atilla had set up territory in the mango plantation along the way. At the edge of the shade coffee plantation, a fruiting tree just downslope attracted Citreoline Trogons, Rose-throated Becards, and White-throated Robins. Gray-crowned Woodpeckers again called off in the distance but were too far away to respond to playback. We heard scratching on the ground just off the road, so we quietly walked in under the coffee bushes to see what was there. Most of the noise was made by a small group of Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrows as they tossed leaves aside, towhee-like. A Red-breasted Chat passed by quickly, but all had seen this bird in the past, so we didn’t concentrate on refinding it. On the walk back to the car, a Russet-crowned Motmot dashed across the road and, thankfully, up into a sparsely-leaved Cecropia tree. Below, another group of ground-sparrows appeared, but this time in the open after some pygmy-owl imitation. Soon, a real Colima Pygmy-Owl responded and flew in to check us out. While driving back to the hotel for lunch and a siesta we noticed that the foothills just south of San Blas were shrouded in clouds, which made clear our afternoon birding decision: we would head up into the clouds and bird at La Bajada, another shade-grown coffee plantation.
But first, a large congregation of water birds at a
freshwater inlet along the beach drew our attention. There we had
amazing views of Heermann’s Gulls and Royal and Gull-billed Terns
bathing in and drinking the fresh water.As we suspected, the cloudy conditions made for excellent birding. La Bajada’s famous fig tree was with crawling with birds, mostly Citreoline Trogons and Rufous-backed and White-throated Robins. We watched the tree for quite awhile but were eventually distracted by a loud crash from within a group of banana trees. We walked over to investigate, and it turned out to be a rather surly Ivory-billed Woodcreeper, none too pleased with our appearance there. In the nearby rocky tangles, we found multiple Fan-tailed Warblers. Amazons started calling all around us, and eventually we realized they were perched, but we just couldn’t locate them. Eventually, John spotted one on a bare branch, and we were soon enjoying full-frame scope views of a pair of Lilac-crowned Parrots—seeing them in flight is hard enough, but to have such amazing looks of perched birds was remarkable! A flock of Mexican Parrotlets kept flying up and down the valley, but they wouldn’t stop for us. On the way back down to the coast, we found another Bright-rumped Atillla.
 |
 |
| male Citreoline Trogon chowing down |
Russet-crowned
Motmot |
 |
 |
| Colima Pygmy-Owl |
Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrow |
Day 9: San Blas (La Bajada and Singayta)
Impressed with the activity at La Bajada the day before, we decided to spend the morning there today. And what a good decision it proved to be. Crested Guans were calling as we stepped out of the car at the fig free, where a group of Rufous-bellied Chachalacas was gorging itself on ripe figs. From the thicket next to the car we heard the chattering of a Red-crowned Ant-Tanager, and soon enough they passed across the road affording nice views. A Greenish Elaenia and a Plumbeous Vireo fed just overhead. Up the road, a stunning male “Coppery-tailed” Elegant Trogon appeared and paused in the scope for us. A Gray-crowned Woodpecker again called from across the valley, but this one flew right in to the recording…at last, a look at this West Mexican endemic! The parrotlets frustrated us again, always flying by fast, overhead and backlit. Equally frustrating were the half a dozen Ruddy Quail-Doves we’d flushed off the road; they always saw us before we saw them. Further up the hill, we went to my Rosy Thrush-Tanager spot, and although one did call in response to playback, it wouldn’t show itself. A Lesser Ground-Cuckoo sang from a distant, dry hilltop.
We took a side trail up into a dense planting of banana, when I heard a strange but familiar sound. A Flammulated Flycatcher was calling up ahead, but here?! As it turned out, the top of the hill was much drier and supported a nice stand of thornforest. With persistence, we all were able to note the flycatcher’s field marks, from its odd bill and pale spectacles to the cinnamon-edged wings and ever-so-slightly-streaked breast. A Colima Pygmy-Owl flew in to see what all the whistling was about. Just then, Nancy saw a large something move out of the corner of her eye—it was a juvenile San Blas Jay feeding on a banana! We watched a family of jays as it quietly moved through the area, munching ripe bananas along the way. All the while, the pygmy-owl hadn’t stopped singing, and it attracted the attention of a Golden-crowned Emerald and an irate Mexican Hermit. The hermit would only dash through quickly, never pausing for a decent look. Back at the car, some airborne whistling alerted us to the presence of a singing Black Hawk-Eagle, here at the new western extent of its range.
 |
 |
| San Blas Jay |
Flammulated
Flycatcher |
We birded a side road in the marshy lowlands
just before lunch, but the sun really kept the bird activity low.
White-throated Flycatchers again alluded us, but we managed to find a Ruddy-breasted Seedeater, some
Willow Flycatchers, and a tree full of seemingly invisible
parrotlets. We spent over half an hour trying to find them, but lunch
(and air conditioning) were calling.White-throated Flycatcher, Mexican Parrotlet, and Collared Forest-Falcon were the main targets this evening, so we opted to return to Singayta. Again, the only empids we found were “Westerns” and Leasts. Parrotlets were not even heard, though we did enjoy prolonged studies of Orange-fronted Parakeet and Lineated Woodpecker. Black-chinned Hummingbird was new for the trip. A Great Black-Hawk flew over, and as the temperature started to drop towards evening, a Collared Forest-Falcon began to call. Try as we might, the best we could do was to get some prolonged flight views of the falcon. Back at the entrance we found a flock of handsome Stripe-headed Sparrows. By now we were exhausted—time for dinner and bed. Over dinner we ran into some other birders who told us we’d missed a triple-digit flock of Thick-billed Parrots by only a day at the Barranca, but they missed the quetzal. Still, with our great luck with San Blas Jay today (which is rare this far north, contrary to its name), we felt pretty lucky.
Day
10: San Blas (La Bajada) to MazatlánOver dinner the previous night we had a discussion regarding the next day’s birding plans. Did we want to go back out on the boat to look for wood-rails or back to La Bajada? The decision was unanimous, so we returned to La Bajada. Our luck improved markedly today with the Ruddy Quail-Doves, as we had multiple scope views of them both walking the road ahead of us and perched off to the side. The Lilac-crowned Parrots were in the same place, and thankfully, so were the (now perched) Mexican Parrotlets! Even through the scope, it’s amazing how much these little guys look like leaves when they’re not moving, but then again, that’s the idea!
We walked back up into the banana plantation to try for a better view of the hermit, and although he was still there, singing away, we never managed to see him perched. The San Blas Jays, Flammulated Flycatcher, and Colima Pygmy-Owl were all still there as well. The Rosy Thrush-Tanager continued to taunt us, calling just often enough to keep us interested but never singing and never coming out to where we could see it. Back at the car, we found a female Flame-colored Tanager and a Russet-crowned Motmot. Unfortunately, we had to get going if we were to make it to Mazatlán with time to scope out the coast.
After checking into the hotel and before dinner, we stopped at the Booby Rocks in Mazatlán, where we found bucketloads of Blue-footed Boobies coming in to roost. On the nearby waterfront, we found a group of gulls and terns that included Elegant Tern and Bonaparte’s Gull.
A delicious meal of authentic tacos al pastor, tamales, and horchata was the perfect end to an exciting tour, but we all were wishing we had just a couple more days...
 |
 |
| female Ruddy Quail-Dove |
female Flame-colored Tanager |
BIRD LIST
This list includes all the bird species that were recorded by at least one of us. Taxonomy and nomenclature closely follow Howell's Checklist of the Birds of Mexico and all subsequent AOU supplements. Quotation marks denote a possible future split. For instance, "Eastern" Blue Bunting means that the eastern form may one day be split from Blue Bunting. Brackets denote the larger taxon that a species has been split from. For instance,Galápagos [Audubon's] Shearwater means that Galápagos Shearwater was once considered a subspecies of Audubon's Shearwater (and may still be by some authorities). Parentheses denote an alternate name used by some checklists.
Totals:
274 bird species recorded
9 heard only
h = heard only
^ = endemic to northern Middle America
* = endemic to Mexico
(NW) = endemic to Northwestern Mexico
(W) = endemic to the Pacific (western) slope of northern Middle America
| x x x x x x x x x h x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x h h x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x h x x x x x x x x x x x x h x x x h x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x h x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x h x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x h x x x x x |
WATERFOWL:
Anatidae Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Muscovy Duck Blue-winged Teal Cinnamon Teal Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Lesser Scaup CRACIDS: Cracidae Rufous-bellied Chachalaca* (NW) Crested Guan NEW WORLD QUAIL: Odontophoridae Elegant Quail* (NW) GREBES: Podicipedidae Least Grebe GANNETS and BOOBIES: Sulidae Blue-footed Booby PELICANS: Pelecanidae American White Pelican Brown Pelican CORMORANTS: Phalacrocoracidae Neotropic Cormorant DARTERS: Anhingidae Anhinga FRIGATEBIRDS: Fregatidae Magnificent Frigatebird HERONS: Ardeidae Bare-throated Tiger-Heron Great Blue Heron Great Egret Snowy Egret Little Blue Heron Tricolored Heron Cattle Egret Green Heron Black-crowned Night-Heron Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Boat-billed Heron IBISES and SPOONBILLS: Threskiornithidae White Ibis White-faced Ibis Roseate Spoonbill STORKS: Ciconiidae Wood Stork NEW WORLD VULTURES: Cathartidae Black Vulture Turkey Vulture TYPICAL RAPTORS: Acciptridae Osprey White-tailed Kite Cooper's Hawk Crane Hawk Common Black-Hawk Great Black-Hawk Harris's Hawk Gray Hawk Short-tailed Hawk Zone-tailed Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Black Hawk-Eagle FALCONS and CARACARAS: Falconidae Collared Forest-Falcon Crested Caracara Laughing Falcon American Kestrel Bat Falcon Peregrine Falcon RAILS, GALLINULES, and COOTS: Rallidae Rufous-necked Wood-Rail Sora Common Moorhen American Coot LIMPKIN: Aramidae Limpkin PLOVERS: Charadriidae Semipalmated Plover Killdeer STILTS and AVOCETS: Recurvirostridae Black-necked Stilt American Avocet JAÇANAS: Jacanidae Northern Jaçana SANDPIPERS: Scolopacidae Spotted Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs "Western" Willet Lesser Yellowlegs Whimbrel GULLS: Larinae Bonaparte's Gull Laughing Gull Heermann's Gull Mew Gull Ring-billed Gull TERNS: Sterninae Gull-billed Tern Caspian Tern Forster's Tern Royal Tern Elegant Tern PIGEONS and DOVES: Columbidae Rock Pigeon Red-billed Pigeon Band-tailed Pigeon White-winged Dove Mourning Dove Inca Dove Common Ground-Dove Ruddy Ground-Dove White-tipped Dove Ruddy Quail-Dove PARROTS: Psittacidae Orange-fronted Parakeet (W) Military Macaw Mexican Parrotlet* (W) Lilac-crowned Parrot* (W) CUCKOOS: Cuculidae "Mexican" Squirrel Cuckoo* (W) Lesser Ground-Cuckoo (W) Groove-billed Ani OWLS: Strigiformes Colima Pygmy-Owl* (W) Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl Mottled Owl NIGHTJARS and NIGHTHAWKS: Caprimulgidae Lesser Nighthawk Pauraque POTOOS: Nyctibiidae Northern Potoo SWIFTS: Apodidae White-naped Swift* (NW) Vaux's Swift HUMMINGBIRDS: Trochilidae Mexican [Long-billed] Hermit* (W) Golden-crowned Emerald* (W) Broad-billed Hummingbird Mexican Woodnymph* (W) White-eared Hummingbird^ Berylline Hummingbird^ Cinnamon Hummingbird Blue-throated Hummingbird Magnificent Hummingbird Plain-capped Starthroat Ruby-throated Hummingbird Black-chinned Hummingbird Costa's Hummingbird Calliope Hummingbird Bumblebee Hummingbird* Rufous Hummingbird TROGONS and QUETZALS: Trogonidae Citreoline Trogon* (W) Mountain Trogon^ "Coppery-tailed" Elegant Trogon Eared Quetzal* (W) MOTMOTS: Momotidae Russet-crowned Motmot^ (W) KINGFISHERS: Alcedinidae Belted Kingfisher Green Kingfisher WOODPECKERS: Picidae Acorn Woodpecker Golden-cheeked Woodpecker* (W) Gila Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Hairy Woodpecker Arizona Woodpecker Gray-crowned Woodpecker Lineated Woodpecker Pale-billed Woodpecker FURNARIIDS (incl. WOODCREEPERS): Furnariidae White-striped Woodcreeper* TYRANT FLYCATCHERS: Tyrannidae Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet Tufted Flycatcher Greater Pewee Willow Flycatcher Least Flycatcher "Western" Flycatcher Vermilion Flycatcher Bright-rumped Attila Dusky-capped Flycatcher Nutting's Flycatcher (W) Brown-crested Flycatcher Flammulated Flycatcher* (W) Great Kiskadee Boat-billed Flycatcher Social Flycatcher Tropical Kingbird Thick-billed Kingbird genera INCERTAE SEDIS Rose-throated Becard Masked Tityra SHRIKES: Laniidae Loggerhead Shrike VIREOS: Vireonidae Bell's Vireo Black-capped Vireo Plumbeous Vireo Cassin's Vireo Hutton's Vireo Golden Vireo* (W) "Western" Warbling Vireo CORVIDS: Corvidae Steller's Jay Black-throated Magpie-Jay* (NW) Tufted Jay* (NW) Green Jay San Blas Jay* (W) Purplish-backed Jay* (NW) Sinaloa Crow* (NW) Chihuahuan Raven Common Raven SWALLOWS: Hirundinidae Mangrove Swallow Violet-green Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow Barn Swallow TITS: Paridae Mexican Chickadee Bridled Titmouse CREEPERS: Certhiidae Brown Creeper WRENS: Troglodytidae Canyon Wren Sinaloa Wren* (W) Happy Wren* (W) "Northern" House Wren "Brown-throated" Wren KINGLETS: Regulidae Ruby-crowned Kinglet GNATCATCHERS & GNATWRENS: Polioptilinae Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Black-capped Gnatcatcher* THRUSHES: Turdidae Eastern Bluebird Brown-backed Solitaire^ Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush Hermit Thrush White-throated Thrush Rufous-backed Robin* (W) American Robin MIMIDS: Mimidae Northern Mockingbird Curve-billed Thrasher Blue Mockingbird* SILKY-FLYCATCHERS: Ptilogonatidae Gray Silky(-flycatcher)^ OLIVE WARBLER: Peucidramidae Olive Warbler NEW WORLD WARBLERS: Parulidae Orange-crowned Warbler Nashville Warbler Lucy's Warbler Crescent-chested Warbler^ Tropical Parula Yellow Warbler "Mangrove" Warbler "Audubon's" Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Gray Warbler Townsend's Warbler Hermit Warbler Grace's Warbler Black-and-white Warbler American Redstart Northern Waterthrush MacGillivray's Warbler Common Yellowthroat Wilson's Warbler Red-faced Warbler "Gray-eared" Red Warbler* (NW) Painted Whitestart Slate-throated Whitestart Fan-tailed Warbler^ Golden-crowned Warbler Rufous-capped Warbler* Golden-browed Warbler^ Yellow-breasted Chat Red-breasted Chat* (W) TANAGERS: Thraupidae Rosy Thrush-Tanager Red-crowned Ant-Tanager Hepatic Tanager Summer Tanager Western Tanager Flame-colored Tanager Red-headed Tanager* (W) EMBERIZIDS: Emberizidae Blue-black Grassquit Cinnamon-rumped Seedeater* (W) Ruddy-breasted Seedeater Green-striped Brush-Finch* (W) Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrow* (W) Green-tailed Towhee Spotted Towhee Stripe-headed Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Lark Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow Yellow-eyed Junco CARDINALIDS: Cardinalidae "Western" Grayish Saltator* (W) Pyrrhuloxia Yellow Grosbeak Rose-breasted Grosbeak Black-headed Grosbeak "Western" Blue Bunting* (W) Blue Grosbeak Lazuli Bunting Indigo Bunting Varied Bunting Painted Bunting ICTERIDS: Icteridae Great-tailed Grackle Bronzed Cowbird Brown-headed Cowbird Black-vented Oriole^ Orchard Oriole Hooded Oriole Streak-backed Oriole Bullock's Oriole Scott's Oriole Yellow-winged Cacique^ (W) FINCHES: Fringillidae Godman's [Scrub] Euphonia Elegant [Blue-hooded] Euphonia^ House Finch Black-headed Siskin^ Lesser Goldfinch Evening Grosbeak OLD WORLD SPARROWS: Passeridae House Sparrow |
Dendrocygna autumnalis Cairina moschata Anas discors Anas cyanoptera Anas clypeata Anas acuta Anas crecca Aythya affinis Ortalis wagleri Penelope purpurascens Callipepla douglasii Tachybaptus dominicus Sula nebouxii Pelecanus erythrorhynchos Pelecanus occidentalis Phalacrocorax brasilianus Anhinga anhinga Fregata magnificens Tigrisoma mexicanum Ardea herodias Ardea alba Egretta thula Egretta caerulea Egretta tricolor Bubulcus ibis Butorides virescens Nycticorax nycticorax Nyctanassa violacea Cochlearius cochlearius Eudocimus albus Plegadis chihi Platalea ajaja Mycteria americana Coragyps atratus Cathartes aura Pandion haliaetus Elanus leucurus Accipiter cooperii Geranospiza caerulescens Buteogallus anthracinus Buteogallus urubitinga Parabuteo unicinctus Buteo nitidus Buteo brachyurus Buteo albonotatus Buteo jamaicensis Spizaetus tyrannus Micrastur semitorquatus Caracara cheriway Herpetotheres cachinnans Falco sparverius Falco rufigularis Falco peregrinus Aramides axillaris Porzana carolina Gallinula chloropus Fulica americana Aramus guarauna Charadrius semipalmatus Charadrius vociferus Himantopus mexicanus Recurvirostra americana Jacana spinosa Actitis macularius Tringa melanoleuca Tringa s. inornata Tringa flavipes Numenius phaeopus Larus philadelphia Larus atricilla Larus heermanni Larus canus Larus delawarensis Gelochelidon nilotica Hydroprogne caspia Sterna forsteri Thalasseus maximus Thalasseus elegans Columba livia Patagioenas flavirostris Patagioenas fasciata Zenaida asiatica Zenaida macroura Columbina inca Columbina passerina Columbina talpacoti Leptotila verreauxi Geotrygon montana Aratinga canicularis Ara militaris Forpus cyanopygius Amazona finschi Piaya cayana mexicana Morococcyx erythropygus Crotophaga sulcirostris Glaucidium palmarum Glaucidium brasilianum Ciccaba virgata Chordeiles acutipennis Nyctidromus albicollis Nyctibius jamaicensis Streptoprocne semicollaris Chaetura vauxi Phaethornis [longirostris] mexicanus Chlorostilbon auriceps Cynanthus latirostris Thalurania ridgwayi Hylocharis leucotis Amazilia beryllina Amazilia rutila Lampornis clemenciae Eugenes fulgens Heliomaster constantii Archilochus colubris Archilochus alexandri Calypte costae Stellula calliope Atthis heloisa Selasphorus rufus Trogon citreolus Trogon mexicanus Trogon elegans Euptilotis neoxenus Momotus mexicanus Megaceryle alcyon Chloroceryle americana Melanerpes formicivorus Melanerpes chrysogenys Melanerpes uropygialis Sphyrapicus varius Picoides villosus Picoides arizonae Colaptes auricularis Dryocopus lineatus Campephilus guatemalensis Lepidocolaptes leucogaster Camptostoma imberbe Mitrephanes phaeocercus Contopus pertinax Empidonax traillii Empidonax minimus Empidonax difficilis/occidentalis Pyrocephalus rubinus Attila spadiceus Myiarchus tuberculifer Myiarchus nuttingi Myiarchus tyrannulus Deltarhynchus flammulatus Pitangus sulphuratus Megarynchus pitangua Myiozetetes similis Tyrannus melancholicus Tyrannus crassirostris Pachyramphus aglaiae Tityra semifasciata Lanius ludovicianus Vireo bellii Vireo atricapilla Vireo plumbeus Vireo cassinii Vireo huttoni Vireo hypochryseus Vireo gilvus swainsoni group Cyanocitta stelleri Calocitta colliei Cyanocorax dickeyi Cyanocorax [yncas] luxuosus Cyanocorax sanblasianus Cyanocorax beecheii Corvus sinaloae Corvus cryptoleucus Corvus corax Tachycineta albilinea Tachycineta thalassina Stelgidopteryx serripennis Hirundo rustica Poecile sclateri Baeolophus wollweberi Certhia americana Catherpes mexicanus Thryothorus sinaloa Thryothorus felix Troglodytes a. aedon Troglodytes a. brunneicollis Regulus calendula Polioptila caerulea Polioptila nigriceps Sialia sialis Myadestes occidentalis Catharus aurantiirostris Catharus guttatus Turdus assimilis Turdus rufopalliatus Turdus migratorius Mimus polyglottos Toxostoma curvirostre Melanotis caerulescens Ptilogonys cinereus Peucedramus taeniatus Vermivora celata Vermivora ruficapilla Vermivora luciae Parula superciliosa Parula pitiayumi Dendroica p. aestivia group Dendroica p. erithachorides group Dendroica c. auduboni group Dendroica nigrescens Dendroica townsendi Dendroica occidentalis Dendroica graciae Mniotilta varia Setophaga ruticilla Seiurus noveboracensis Oporornis tolmiei Geothlypis trichas Wilsonia pusilla Cardellina rubrifrons Ergaticus ruber melanauris Myioborus pictus Myioborus miniatus Euthlypis lachrymosa Basileuterus culicivorus Basileuterus rufifrons Basileuterus belli Icteria virens Granatellus venustus Rhodinocichla rosea Habia rubica Piranga flava Piranga rubra Piranga ludoviciana Piranga bidentata Piranga erythrocephala Volatinia jacarina Sporophila torqueola Sporophila minuta Arremon virenticeps Melozone kieneri Pipilo chlorurus Pipilo maculatus Aimophila ruficauda Spizella passerina Chondestes grammacus Melospiza lincolnii Junco phaeonotus Saltator c. vigorsii group Cardinalis sinuatus Pheucticus chrysopeplus Pheucticus ludovicianus Pheucticus melanocephalus Cyanocompsa parellina indigotica Passerina caerulea Passerina amoena Passerina cyanea Passerina versicolor Passerina ciris Quiscalus mexicanus Molothrus aeneus Molothrus ater Icterus wagleri Icterus spurius Icterus cucullatus Icterus pustulatus Icterus bullockii Icterus parisorum Cacicus melanicterus Euphonia [a.] godmani Euphonia elegantissima Carpodacus mexicanus Carduelis notata Carduelis psaltria Coccothraustes vespertinus Passer domesticus |
