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Northern Mexico 2004,
Introduction
We spent the period between 20th April and 7h May 2004 birding in Northern Mexico. We flew with Continental from London (via Houston, where we had to overnight on the way out) to Mazatlan. This is an unusual destination but necessary as we had to stay out of potential malarial areas for the duration of the trip. If your wife or partner is pregnant then this trip is tailor-made! We hired an expensive car through Alamo for the duration (>£700!). Driving is easy enough in Mexico although the mountainous stretches of the Durango Highway offers plenty of opportunity for mayhem and should be driven with extreme caution. As usual we got lost a lot in towns so take a compass. Check out Durango for the freakiest city highway system in the world. We stayed in cheap but comfortable hotels throughout. The Durango Highway used to enjoy the reputation of being one of the more hazardous places to go birding in the world but seems secure enough now - certainly there is a very noticeable armed police presence in the area and presumably the days of highway robbery are receding into history as a result.
Strategy and birds we missed
We attempted to see as many of northern Mexico's endemics as possible in the time available and spent a reasonable amount of time driving as a result. I suspect a visit earlier in the year would secure many of the species we managed to miss as well as a hatful of wintering visitors. Many of the species we missed (with the exception of Tamaulipas pygmy-owl) are present further south in the Sierras and will have to wait for another trip. The key species to see on this itinerary are the following regional endemics not found elsewhere: maroon-fronted parrot, red-crowned parrot, Tamaulipas pygmy-owl, tawny-collared nightjar, tufted jay, Altamira yellowthroat (though also in northern Veracruz), crimson-collared grosbeak and Worthen's sparrow. Ideally we would have had another three days for this trip and would have used the time to visit Copper Canyon near Chihuahua for eared quetzal and a few other species that are easier here than elsewhere. We had very little site information other than that contained in Steve Howell's excellent site guide - this was sufficient for our purposes and is still up-to-date for the sites we visited. Very few site details are included therefore in this gen (buy the book!) but where changes have occurred we highlight these in the site section below.
We missed the following birds:
Black-vented shearwater | Possible off Mazatlan. |
Least storm-petrel | Possible off Mazatlan. |
Singing quail | Apparently easier at El Naranjo than elsewhere! |
Thick-billed parrot | Present in small numbers and highly nomadic in the Durango Highway area. |
Lilac-crowned parrot | A surprising dip for us - recorded at sites along the Durango Highway. |
Lesser ground-cuckoo | Heard but not seen along the Durango Highway and La Noria road - tough bird to see. |
Owls | We like owling and the fact that we could not get into the Highrise area due to high rainfall cost us a few species. At El Naranjo we did not even hear Tamaulipas pygmy owl. |
Chestnut-collared swift | Possible along Durango Highway. |
White-naped swift | Possible along Durango Highway. |
Violet-crowned hummingbird | Possible along Durango Highway. |
Amethyst-throated hummingbird | El Naranjo. |
Sparkling-tailed woodstar | Possible along Durango Highway. |
Bumblebee hummingbird | Possible along Durango Highway. |
Eared quetzal | Possible along Durango Highway at Barranca Rancho Liebre but rare. |
Grey-crowned woodpecker | Possible along Durango Highway. |
White-throated flycatcher | Possible along Durango Highway. |
Clark's nutcracker | Possible at El Potosi (isolated population) - we dipped! |
Grey-breasted wood-wren | El Naranjo - we could not find this species despite a reasonable amount of pro-active tape playback. |
Black-capped gnatcatcher | Durango Highway and La Noria road - we could not find this species despite a reasonable amount of pro-active tape playback. |
Grey silky | Another surprising dip of the trip. |
Red-breasted chat | Durango Highway and La Noria road - we could not find this species despite a reasonable amount of pro-active tape playback. |
Hooded grosbeak | Possible but elusive at El Naranjo and Durango Highway sites. |
References
Take both North American and Mexican field guides, we used:
Sibley, D. A. The Sibley Guide to Birds. Knopf.Howell, S. N. G. and Webb, S. A guide to the birds of Mexico and Northern Central America. Oxford.
We used the following excellent source of site information:
Howell, S. N. G. Where to watch birds in Mexico. Helm.
Sites visited
20-23/4 and 3-5/5 Durango Highway (various sites)
This large area is well covered in Howell's site guide and includes a number of discrete sites, most notably the Panuco road and Barranca Rancho Liebre. If you have the time a week can easily be spent here. In the lower reaches of the road a new toll highway has been constructed (but as yet remains unopened) and this has undoubtedly disturbed habitat at the Pantitlan road and Cerro el Elefante. Likewise the La Petaca road has recently been paved for the first three kilometres and this work has temporarily removed the banks of flowering shrubs attractive to hummingbirds (still worth birding it though). We stayed at the Hotel Villa Blanca in Capilla de Taxte, which is handy for birding the lower stretches and Panuco but stay at the small motel-style place in El Palmito when birding the Barranca Rancho Liebre. The birding here is superb and must be even better in the winter. Tufted jays are the one of the stars of the show here and not difficult to find - we even had them in the centre of El Palmito whilst having lunch! Ensure you have time to visit most of the sites mentioned in Howell as subtle changes of altitude, aspect and habitat produce different birds.
Highlights (ie birds not recorded elsewhere) at all the sites along the Durango Highway included: Cooper's hawk, common black-hawk, short-tailed hawk, orange-fronted parakeet, military macaw, Mexican parrotlet, Colima pygmy-owl, mottled owl, golden-crowned emerald, broad-billed hummingbird, beryline hummingbird, cinnamon hummingbird, plain-capped starthroat, citreoline trogon, russet-crowned motmot, golden-cheeked woodpecker, gila woodpecker, Arizona woodpecker, pale-billed woodpecker, white-striped woodcreeper, common tufted flycatcher, western pewee, bright-rumped attila, flammulated flycatcher, thick-billed kingbird, rose-throated becard, black-throated magpie-jay, tufted jay, Sinaloa crow, Mexican chickadee, white-breasted nuthatch, brown creeper, spotted wren, canyon wren, happy wren, Sinaloa wren, blue-grey gnatcatcher, eastern bluebird, Townsend's solitaire, orange-billed nightingale-thrush, russet nightingale-thrush, rufous-backed thrush, Aztec thrush, Cassin's vireo, Hutton's vireo, golden vireo, orange-crowned warbler, hermit warbler, Grace's warbler, MacGillivray's warbler, red-faced warbler, red warbler, golden-browed warbler, yellow-breasted chat, olive warbler, scrub euphonia, western tanager, red-headed tanager, greyish saltator, yellow grosbeak, varied bunting, rufous-capped brush-finch, green-striped brush-finch, rusty-crowned ground-sparrow, striped sparrow, Lincoln's sparrow, streak-backed oriole, red crossbill and black-headed siskin.
24/4 Tanque de Emergencia
Well-covered in Howell - although note that the dirt road is only signed from Route 54 if you are coming from the south. We found Worthen's sparrows at many locations along the road, as they were very vocal and conspicuous. This site seemed to be packed with wintering/migrating sparrows and bunting too and was great birding. Unfortunately the road between El Cercado and Hedionda Grande was being re-graded and we therefore had to re-trace our path back to the main road and then turned off again on the Hedionda Grande road and through eventually to Route 57. To accomplish this follow your nose and then turn left when you get back to a metalled road. Highlights here included: northern harrier, golden eagle, peregrine, burrowing owl, western scrub jay, American pipit, phainopepla, loggerhead shrike, black-throated sparrow, Worthen's sparrow, vesper sparrow, lark bunting, grasshopper sparrow, Baird's sparrow, song sparrow, McCown's longspur and western meadowlark.
24-26/4 Cerro El Potosi
We liked the sound of this place and it was interesting (as well as the only place we could find pine flycatcher) but in hindsight it may have been better to have spent the time elsewhere. Although if we had successfully seen individuals of the isolated population of Clark's nutcracker things might have been different! Rain prevented easy access to the lower slopes detailed in Howell and we had to walk in instead. We stayed in the obvious (bright orange) hotel in the plaza of Galeana. The road up to the summit was possible in a 2WD, although we had to move a few rocks by hand on occasion. Highlights here included: ruddy duck, broad-tailed hummingbird, hairy woodpecker, pine flycatcher, brown-crested flycatcher (certainly under-recorded), pygmy nuthatch, rock wren, black-chinned sparrow and Baltimore oriole.
26/4 San Antonio de Alazanas
We visited this site briefly one afternoon in order to look for maroon-fronted parrot and hooded yellowthroat (which we failed to see at El Potosi due to rain making the road impassable). Although the rain continued we managed to get good flight views of the parrots and taped out a splendid male hooded yellowthroat. The site is well covered in Howell although we found the kilometre readings to be slightly out.
27/4 Highrise
Rather than drive into Highrise at night in the appalling wet weather we were experiencing we elected to retreat to Saltillo and drive in during daylight. This proved to be a good idea as twice the monthly average of rain had fallen in just 24 hours! We got an impressively long way along the dirt road before a length of road works on a steep slope finally prevented us from going any further. We were sliding inexorably backwards even with the brakes on at one point! Eventually after re-decorating the car we admitted defeat and headed back to the main road missing out on some great birding no doubt. Highlights here included: Colima warbler, lazuli bunting and rufous-crowned sparrow.
27-29/4 La Pesca
We visited this site, which is dealt with admirably in Howell, in order to see yellow-headed parrot and tawny-collared nightjar - both of which were present in good numbers in the thorn-forest on the low hills just inland of the coastal plain. In addition to these two endemics the site greatly enhanced our trip list with a wealth of wetland species not seen elsewhere. This spot would be great place to spend April if you have the time, as the migration through here must be fantastic on occasion. Chiggers are bad here so get the old insect repellent on your socks and legs. Highlights here included: American white pelican, little blue heron, tricolored heron, reddish egret, yellow-crowned night-heron, roseate spoonbill, osprey, roadside hawk, northern bobwhite, black-bellied plover, American golden plover, Wilson's plover, piping plover, American oystercatcher, black-necked stilt, greater yellowlegs, willet, ruddy turnstone, red knot, semipalmated sandpiper, least sandpiper, pectoral sandpiper, stilt sandpiper, Franklin's gull, ring-billed gull, gull-billed tern, Caspian tern, Sandwich tern, Forster's tern, black skimmer, yellow-headed parrot, Chuck-will's-widow, tawny-collared nightjar, ruby-throated hummingbird, lineated woodpecker, eastern pewee, eastern kingbird, scissor-tailed flycatcher, brown jay, Tamaulipas crow, yellow warbler, northern cardinal, white-collared seedeater and eastern meadowlark.
29/4 - 2/5 El Naranjo
Climatically as you drive south to El Naranjo from La Pesca you cross an invisible boundary between North America and tropical Central America and likewise the avifauna changes too. The birding here is great and sadly we did not have enough time to do it credit. The site is much as described in Howell, although I fear that the marsh he details near the El Salto junction is much altered and not as good for birds these days. We birded the obvious sewage ditch between this junction and El Naranjo and picked up Altamira yellowthroat here instead. We stayed in the obvious hotel, just before the bridge at the end of town, which was OK (but do not eat here - we did and lost an afternoon in the field being sick!). The El Salto area was great for parrots and should not be ignored.
Highlights here included: thicket tinamou, muscovy duck, bat falcon, red-billed pigeon, green parakeet, red-crowned parrot, white-collared swift, wedge-tailed sabrewing, Canivet's emerald, buff-bellied hummingbird, azure-crowned hummingbird, blue-crowned motmot, bronze-winged woodpecker, olivaceous woodcreeper, spot-crowned woodcreeper, boat-billed flycatcher, sulphur-bellied flycatcher, spot-breasted wren, black-headed nightingale-thrush, yellow-green vireo, rufous-browed peppershrike, Altamira yellowthroat, grey-crowned yellowthroat, golden-crowned warbler, yellow-throated euphonia, yellow-winged tanager, black-headed saltator, crimson-collared grosbeak, blue bunting, blue-black grassquit, melodious blackbird and Audubon's oriole.
5/5 - 7/5 Mazatlan
We took things very easy here and did the minimum of birding in the scrubby grassland and wetlands behind the coast road. We stayed in the Freeman Hotel in Old Mazatlan, which looks out over the seabird islands just offshore. These islands are best scoped from the road to the lighthouse and we had red-billed tropicbird from here. The highlight of our stay here was an 8 hour pelagic trip organised through Flota Bibi Fleet (gogetem[at]bibifleet.com and flotabibifleet[at]hotmail.com). This trip cost £150 and was an interesting exercise and produced some great views of black storm-petrel, red phalarope (some red!) and a few other species. Unfortunately the set of the waves made heading due west extremely uncomfortable so we did not get as far offshore as I had hoped. The boat was quite small and, in the moderate swell, viewing conditions were often extremely difficult. Worth doing though if you are in the neighbourhood and have a day to spare.
Highlights here included: least grebe, pink-footed shearwater, black storm-petrel, red-billed tropicbird, blue-footed booby, brown booby, magnificent frigatebird, northern jacana, red phalarope, Heerman's gull, Sabine's gull, common tern and cinnamon-rumped seedeater. The pelagic also produced good views of a large shark and a sunfish.
6/5 La Noria Road
This site is at low altitude and should be worked early in the morning. We hoped to catch up with lilac-crowned parrot here but failed despite searching hard. Howell covers this site well and we caught up with our other target species along the two tracks mentioned in the book at km 2.4/2.5. Highlights here included: elegant quail, white-fronted parrot and purplish-backed jay.
Birds recorded in Mexico between 20th April and 7th May 2004
Sites visited: Durango Highway (DH) including Panuco Road (PR) and Barranca Rancho Liebre (BRL) 20/4 to 23/4 and 3/5 to 5/5; Tanque de Emergencia (TE) 24/4; Cerro El Potosi (EP) 24/4 to 26/4; San Antonio de Alazanas (SAA) 26/4; Highrise (H) 27/4; La Pesca (LP) 27/4 to 29/4; El Naranjo (EN) 29/4 to 2/5; Mazatlan (MZ) 5/5 to 7/5; and the La Noria road (LN) 6/5.
Thicket tinamou | Crypturellus cinnamomeus | [LP], EN |
Least grebe | Tachybaptus dominicus | MZ |
Pied-billed grebe | Podilymbus podiceps | EP, en route to Durango (2/5) |
Pink-footed shearwater | Puffinus creatopus | Single off MZ on pelagic trip |
Black storm-petrel | Oceanodroma melania | 35+ off MZ on pelagic trip |
Red-billed tropicbird | Phaeton aethereus | Single coming into seabird islands off MZ, three birds on pelagic trip |
Blue-footed booby | Sula nebouxii | MZ |
Brown booby | S. leucogaster | MZ |
American white pelican | Pelecanus erythrorhynchos | LP |
Brown pelican | Pelecanus occidentalis | LP, MZ |
Double-crested cormorant | Phalacrocorax auritus | LP, MZ |
Neotropic cormorant | P. brasilianus | EP (under-recorded) |
Magnificient frigatebird | Fregata magnificens | MZ |
Great blue heron | Ardea herodias | LP, EN, MZ |
Great egret | Egretta alba | Widespread in lowlands and plateau wetlands |
Snowy egret | E. thula | LP (under-recorded) |
Little blue heron | E. caerulea | LP |
Tricolored heron | E. tricolor | LP |
Reddish egret | E. rufescens | LP |
Cattle egret | Bubulcus ibis | EP, LP, EN, MZ |
Green heron | Butorides virescens | LP, EN |
Yellow-crowned night-heron | Nycticorax violaceus | LP |
White ibis | Eudocnimus albus | LP, MZ |
Roseate spoonbill | Platalea ajaja | LP |
Black-bellied whistling-duck | Dendrocygna autumnalis | LP, EN |
Muscovy duck | Cairina moschata | EN |
Mexican duck | Anas diazi | DH, en route to Durango (2/5) |
Blue-winged teal | A. discors | EP, LP, en route to Durango (2/5) |
Northern shoveler | A. clypeata | EP, LP |
Ruddy duck | Oxyura jamaicensis | 10+ at Laguna de Labradores (EP) |
Black vulture | Coragyps atratus | Widespread in lowlands |
Turkey vulture | Cathartes aura | Widespread |
Osprey | Pandion haliaetus | LP |
Northern harrier | Circus cyaneus | TE |
Sharp-shinned hawk | Accipiter striatus | BRL, EP, DH |
Cooper's hawk | A. cooperi | Pair at La Petaca road (DH) |
Common black-hawk | Buteogallus anthracinus | Single over DH on 21/4 |
Grey hawk | Buteo nitidus | En route to EN, EN, PR |
Roadside hawk | B. magnirostris | LP |
Short-tailed hawk | B. brachyurus | Single at La Petaca road (DH) |
Swainson's hawk | B. swainsoni | Single en route to Galeana |
White-tailed hawk | B. albicaudatus | Singles near main highway en route to Galeana and en route to EN |
Zone-tailed hawk | B. albonotatus | Pair displaying at summit of Cerro El Potosi (EP) at 3,750 m. An immature bird along the La Petaca road (DH). |
Red-tailed hawk | B. jamaicensis | DH, TE, EP |
Golden eagle | Aquila chrysaetos | TE |
Crested caracara | Caracara plancus | Low down on DH, TE, LP |
[Collared forest-falcon] | Micrastur semitorquatus | [PR] |
American kestrel | Falco sparverius | TE, EP, H, LP, DH |
Bat falcon | F. rufigularis | EN |
Peregrine | F. peregrinus | TE |
Plain chachalaca | Ortalis vetula | LP, EN |
Rufous-bellied chachalaca | O. wagleri | PR, LN |
[Crested guan] | Penelope purpurascens | [BRL] |
Northern bobwhite | Colinus virginianus | LP |
Scaled quail | Callipepla squamata | TE, EP |
Elegant quail | C. douglasii | LN |
[Common pheasant] | Phasianus colchisus | [H] |
Common moorhen | Gallinula chloropus | MZ |
American coot | Fulica americana | DH, EP, en route to Durango (2/5), MZ |
Black-bellied plover | Pluvialis squatarola | LP |
American golden plover | P. dominica | LP |
Wilson's plover | Charadrius wilsonia | LP |
Piping plover | C. melodus | Single male on the beach at La Pesca. |
Killdeer | C. vociferus | TE, en route to Durango (2/5) |
American oystercatcher | Haematopus palliatus | LP |
Black-necked stilt | Himantopus mexicanus | LP |
American avocet | Recurvirostra americana | 6+ between Torreon and Saltillo, LP |
Northern jacana | Jacana spinosa | MZ (single) |
Greater yellowlegs | Tringa melanoleuca | LP |
Lesser yellowlegs | Tringa flavipes | TE, LP |
Willet | Catoptrophorus semipalmatus | LP |
Spotted sandpiper | Actitis macularia | TE, EP, LP |
Long-billed curlew | Numenius americanus | 4 between Torreon and Saltillo, 150+ TE, small numbers at LP |
Ruddy turnstone | Arenaria interpres | LP |
Red knot | Calidris canutus | LP |
Sanderling | C. alba | LP, MZ |
Semipalmated sandpiper | C. pusilla | LP |
Least sandpiper | C. minutilla | LP |
Baird's sandpiper | C. bairdii | TE, EP, LP |
Pectoral sandpiper | C. melanotus | LP |
Stilt sandpiper | C. himantopus | LP |
Long-billed dowitcher | Limnodromus scolopaceus | en route to Durango (2/5) |
Wilson's phalarope | Steganopus tricolor | LP, en route to Durango (2/5) |
Red phalarope | P. fulicaria | 9+ off MZ |
Laughing gull | Larus atricilla | LP, MZ |
Franklin's gull | L. pipixican | LP |
Heerman's gull | L. heermanni | MZ |
Ring-billed gull | L. delawarensis | LP |
Herring gull | L. argentatus | LP, MZ |
Sabine's gull | L. sabini | 10+ on pelagic trip out of MZ |
Gull-billed tern | Sterna nilotica | LP |
Caspian tern | S. caspia | LP |
Royal tern | S. maxima | LP, MZ |
Sandwich tern | S. sandvicensis | LP |
Common tern | S. hirundo | MZ |
Forster's tern | S. forsteri | LP |
Least tern | S. antillarum | LP, MZ |
Black tern | Chlidonias niger | LP, off MZ |
Black skimmer | Rhynchops niger | LP |
Red-billed pigeon | Columba flavirostris | EN |
Band-tailed pigeon | C. fasciata | BRL, [EP] |
Feral dove | C. livia | Common in urban areas |
White-winged dove | Zenaida asiatica | Widespread |
Mourning dove | Z. macroura | Widespread |
Inca dove | Columbina inca | Widespread |
Common ground-dove | C. passerina | Widespread in lowlands |
White-tipped dove | Leptotila verreauxi | Widespread |
Green parakeet | Aratinga holochlora | EN (El Salto) |
Orange-fronted parakeet | A. canicularis | PR |
Military macaw | Ara militaris | 13+ at PR on 21/4, 4 at La Petaca road (DH), 20+ at close range at PR on 5/5 and 4 flying along highway between PR and Concordia on same day |
Maroon-fronted parrot | Rhynchopsitta terrisi | 15+ at SAA |
Mexican parrotlet | Forpus cyanopygius | PR |
White-fronted parrot | Amazona albifrons | LN |
Red-crowned parrot | A. viridigenalis | EN (El Salto) |
Yellow-headed parrot | A. oratrix | LP (small numbers in hilly thorn forest just inland) |
Squirrel cuckoo | Piaya cayana | PR, EN |
[Lesser ground-cuckoo] | Morococcyx erythropygus | [PR] |
Greater roadrunner | Geococcyx californianus | TE, EP, LP |
Groove-billed ani | Crotophaga sulcirostris | LP, EN, MZ |
[Whiskered screech-owl] | Otus trichopsis | [BRL] |
Colima pygmy-owl | Glaucidium palmarum | PR |
Ferruginous pygmy-owl | G. brasilianum | Frequently heard in lowlands, seen low dwn on DH, LP, and EN |
Burrowing owl | Athene cunicularia | TE |
Mottled owl | Strix virgata | PR |
Lesser nighthawk | Chordeiles acutipennis | EP, PL |
[Common nighthawk] | C. minor | [DH] |
[Pauraque} | Nyctidromus albicollis | [LP] |
Chuck-will's-widow | Caprimulgus carolinensis | LP |
Tawny-collared nightjar | C. salvini | LP |
Buff-collared nightjar | C. ridgwayi | [PR] |
White-collared swift | Streptoprocne zonaris | EN |
Chimney swift | Chaetura pelagica | Large flock north en route to EN |
White-throated swift | Aeronautes saxatilis | H, DH, BRL |
Wedge-tailed sabrewing | Campylopterus curvipennis | EN |
Canivet's emerald | Chlorostilbon canivetii | EN (single) |
Golden-crowned emerald | C. auriceps | PR |
Broad-billed hummingbird | C. latirostris | PR |
White-eared hummingbird | Basilinna leucotis | BRL, DH |
Berylline hummingbird | Amazilia beryllina | La Petaca road (DH) |
Buff-bellied hummingbird | A. yucatanensis | EN |
Cinnamon hummingbird | A. rutila | PR, DH |
Azure-crowned hummingbird | A. cyanocephala | EN (single) |
Blue-throated hummingbird | Lampornis clemenciae | BRL, Chevaria road (DH), La Petaca road (DH) |
Magnificent hummingbird | Eugenes fulgens | DH, Chevaria road (DH), EP |
Plain-capped starthroat | Heliomaster constantii | PR |
Ruby-throated hummingbird | Archilochus colubris | LP |
Broad-tailed hummingbird | Selasphorus platycercus | EP |
Citreoline trogon | Trogon citreolus | PR - single on 21/4 only |
Mountain trogon | T. mexicanus | BRL, EN, DH |
Elegant trogon | T. elegans | PR, EP, H, [LP], [EN] |
Blue-crowned motmot | Momotus momota | EN |
Russet-crowned motmot | M. mexicanus | PR |
Ringed kingfisher | Ceryle torquata | LP, EN |
Acorn woodpecker | Melanerpes formicivorus | H, EN, DH |
Golden-cheeked woodpecker | Centurus chrysogenys | DH |
Golden-fronted woodpecker | C. aurifrons | Widespread |
Gila woodpecker | C. uropygialis | Low down on DH |
Hairy woodpecker | Picoides villosus | EP |
Arizona woodpecker | P. arizonae | BRL |
Bronze-winged woodpecker | Piculus aeruginosus | EN - treated as race of Golden-olive woodpecker by Clements. |
Northern flicker | Colaptes auratus | TE, EP, LP, en route to Durango (2/5), DH |
Lineated woodpecker | Dryocopus lineatus | LP |
Pale-billed woodpecker | Campephilus guatemalensis | PR |
Olivaceous woodcreeper | Sittasomus griseicapillus | EN |
Ivory-billed woodcreeper | Xiphorhynchus flavigaster | PR, EN |
White-striped woodcreeper | Lepidocolaptes leucogaster | BRL |
Spot-crowned woodcreeper | L. affinis | EN |
Common tufted flycatcher | Mitrephanes phaocercus | BRL |
Greater pewee | Contopus pertinax | BRL, PR, EP |
Western pewee | C. sordidulus | Chevaria road (DH) |
Eastern pewee | C. virens | LP |
Pine flycatcher | Empidonax affinis | EP |
Western flycatcher | E. difficilis | BRL, H |
Buff-breasted flycatcher | E. fulvifrons | BRL, H |
Black phoebe | Sayornis nigricans | DH, H, EN |
Say's phoebe | S. saya | DH, TE, EP, H |
Vermilion flycatcher | Pyrocephalus rubinus | EN |
Bright-rumped attila | Attila spadiceus | La Petaca road (DH), PR |
Dusky-capped flycatcher | Myiarchus tuberculifer | DH, H |
Nutting's flycatcher | M. nuttingi | PR, low down on DH |
Brown-crested flycatcher | M. tyrannulus | EP |
Flammulated flycatcher | Deltarhynchus flammulatus | Low down on DH - single on 5/5. Others heard |
Great kiskadee | Pitangus sulphuratus | LP, EN |
Boat-billed flycatcher | Megarhynchus pitangua | EN |
Social flycatcher | Myiozetetes similis | LP, EN |
Sulphur-bellied flycatcher | Myiodynastes luteiventris | EN |
Tropical kingbird | Tyrannus melancholicus | LP, PR |
Cassin's kingbird | T. vociferans | DH, TE |
Thick-billed kingbird | T. crassirostris | La Petaca road (DH), PR |
Eastern kingbird | T. tyrannus | LP |
Scissor-tailed flycatcher | T. forficatus | LP |
Rose-throated becard | Pachyramphus aglaiae | PR |
Masked tityra | Tityra semifasciata | PR, EN |
Horned lark | Eremophila alpestris | TE, EP, LP |
Tree swallow | Tachycineta bicolour | TE |
Mangrove swallow | T. albilinea | MZ |
Violet-green swallow | T. thalassina | BRL, TE, H |
Northern rough-winged swallow | Stelgidopteryx serripennnis | Widespread |
Cliff swallow | Hirundo pyrrhonota | PR |
Cave swallow | H. fulva | DH |
Barn swallow | H. rustica | Widespread |
Steller's jay | Cyanocitta stelleri | BRL, DH, EP |
Black-throated magpie-jay | Calocitta colliei | DH |
Tufted jay | Cyanocorax dickeyi | DH, BRL |
Green jay | C. yncas | LP, EN |
Brown jay | C. morio | LP |
Purplish-backed jay | C. beecheii | LN |
Western scrub jay | Aphelocoma californica | TE |
Grey-breasted jay | A. ultramarina | EP, H, DH |
Tamaulipas crow | Corvus imparatus | LP |
Sinaloa crow | C. sinaloae | DH |
Chihuahuan raven | C cryptoleucus | TE, EP |
Northern raven | C. corax | Widespread |
Mexican chickadee | Parus sclateri | BRL, Chevaria road (DH) |
[Bridled titmouse] | P. wolllweberi | [BRL] |
Black-crested titmouse | P. atricristatus | EP, EN |
Bushtit | Psaltriparus minimus | EP, H |
White-breasted nuthatch | Sitta carolinensis | Chevaria road (DH) |
Pygmy nuthatch | S. pygmaea | EP |
Brown creeper | Certhia americana | BRL, Chevaria road (DH) |
Spotted wren | Campylorhynchus gularis | La Petaca road (DH) |
Cactus wren | C. brunneicapillus | TE, en route to Durango (2/5) |
Rock wren | Salpinctes obsoletus | EP |
Canyon wren | Catherpes mexicanus | La Petaca road (DH), DH |
Spot-breasted wren | Thryothorus maculipectus | EN |
Happy wren | T. felix | PR |
Sinaloa wren | T. sinaloa | PR, La Petaca road (DH) |
Bewick's wren | Thyromanes bewickii | TE, EP, H |
House wren | Troglodytes aedon | BRL, EP |
Ruby-crowned kinglet | Regulus calendula | Chevaria road (DH), EP |
Blue-grey gnatcatcher | Polioptila caerulea | DH |
Eastern bluebird | Sialia sialis | La Petaca road (DH) |
Western bluebird | S. mexicana | DH, TE, EP, H |
Townsend' solitaire | Myadestes townsendi | 2 at Chevaria road (DH) |
Brown-backed solitaire | M. occidentalis | BRL, EP, H, EN |
Orange-billed nightingale-thrush | Catharus aurantirostris | La Petaca road (DH) |
Russet nightingale-thrush | C. occidentalis | BRL |
Black-headed nightingale-thrush | C. mexicanus | Single at EN |
Swainson's thrush | C. ustulatus | Single at BRL on 22/4 |
Hermit thrush | C. guttatus | BRL, EN |
Clay-coloured thrush | Turdus grayi | EP, LP, H, EN |
White-throated thrush | T. assimilis | BRL, EN |
Rufous-backed thrush | T. rufopalliatus | PR |
American robin | T. migratorius | DH, EP, H |
Aztec thrush | Zoothera pinicola | 12+ at BRL along rim of Barranca |
Blue mockingbird | Melanotis caerulescens | PR, BRL, EN |
Northern mockingbird | Mimus polyglottos | EP, LP, EN |
Curve-billed thrasher | Toxostoma curvirostre | TE, EP, LP |
Crissal thrasher | T. crissale | TE, EP |
American pipit | Anthus rubescens | TE |
Phainopepla | Phainopepla nitens | TE |
Loggerhead shrike | Lanius ludovicianus | TE |
Cassin's vireo | Vireo cassini | Single at BRL |
Hutton's vireo | V. huttoni | Single at BRL |
Golden vireo | V. hypochryseus | PR |
Warbling vireo | V. gilvus | PR, EP, BRL |
Yellow-green vireo | V. flavoviridis | EN |
Rufous-browed peppershrike | Cyclarhis gujanensis | EN |
Orange-crowned warbler | Vermivora celata | DH |
Colima warbler | V. crissalis | 2 at H |
Nashville warbler | V. ruficapilla | H, EN |
Crescent-chested warbler | V. superciliosa | BRL, EP, EN |
Yellow warbler | Dendroica petechia | LP - single migrant race on beach plus "Mangrove warbler" common in mangroves |
Yellow-rumped warbler | D. coronata | DH, TE, EP, H |
Townsend's warbler | D. townsendi | BRL, EP, H, EN |
Hermit warbler | D. occidentalis | BRL |
Grace's warbler | D. graciae | BRL |
Black-and-white warbler | Miniotilta varia | EP, EN |
MacGillivray's warbler | Opornis tolmiei | La Petaca road (DH) |
Common yellowthroat | Geothlypis trichas | LP, EN |
Altamira yellowthroat | G. flavovelata | EN - single male in sewage ditch between El Salto junction and town |
Hooded yellowthroat | G. speciosa | Single male at SAA near "Fin de Camino" |
Grey-crowned yellowthroat | Chaemaethlypis poliocephala | EN - in fields around wetland at El Salto junction |
Wilson's warbler | Wilsonia pusilla | BRL, EP |
Red-faced warbler | Cardellina rubrifrons | BRL |
Red warbler | Ergaticus ruber | BRL, Chevaria road (DH) |
Painted whitestart | Myioborus pictus | Chevaria road (DH), EP, H |
Slate-throated whitestart | M. miniatus | BRL, DH, EP |
Fan-tailed warbler | Basileuterus lachrymose | EN, La Petaca road (DH) |
Golden-crowned warbler | B. culicivorus | EN |
Rufous-capped warbler | B. rufifrons | La Petaca road (DH), EN |
Golden-browed warbler | B. belli | BRL |
Yellow-breasted chat | Icteria virens | DH - single on 21/4 |
Olive warbler | Peucedramus taeniatus | DH, BRL |
Scrub euphonia | Euphonia affinis | PR - potential split as Godmann's euphonia. |
Yellow-throated euphonia | E. hirundinacea | EN |
Blue-hooded euphonia | E. elegantissima | BRL, EP, EN |
Yellow-winged tanager | Thraupis abbas | EN |
Hepatic tanager | Piranga flava | BRL, EP, DH |
Western tanager | P. ludoviciana | DH - small numbers in April |
Flame-coloured tanager | P. bidentata | BRL, EN |
Red-headed tanager | Spermagra erythrocephala | BRL |
Greyish saltator | Saltator coerulescens | PR, La Petaca road (DH) |
Black-headed saltator | S. atriceps | EN |
Crimson-collared grosbeak | Rhodothraupis calaeno | EN - single male |
Northern cardinal | Cardinalis cardinalis | LP |
Yellow grosbeak | Pheucticus chysopeplus | PR |
Black-headed grosbeak | P. melanocephalus | BRL, EP, H |
Blue bunting | Cyanocompsa parellina | EN |
Blue grosbeak | Passerina caerulea | PR, EP, H, LP |
Lazuli bunting | P. amoena | H - single male |
Indigo bunting | P. cyanea | EP, H, LP |
Varied bunting | P. versicolor | PR, DH |
Painted bunting | P. ciris | PR, H |
Rufous-capped brushfinch | Atlapetes pileatus | BRL, DH |
Green-striped brushfinch | A. virenticeps | BRL |
Olive sparrow | Arremenops rufivirgatus | [LP], EN |
Rusty-crowned ground-sparrow | Melozone kieneri | PR, La Petaca road (DH) |
Spotted towhee | Pipilio maculatus | Chevaria road (DH), EP, H |
Canyon towhee | P. fuscus | EP, H, DH |
Blue-black grassquit | Volatina jacarina | EN |
White-collared seedeater | Sporophila morelleti | LP |
Cinnamon-rumped seedeater | S. torqueola | MZ |
Rufous-crowned sparrow | A. ruficeps | H |
Rusty sparrow | A. rufescens | La Petaca road (DH), EN |
Striped sparrow | Oriturus superciliosus | DH - especially between Llanos Grandes and Las Cumbre. |
Black-throated sparrow | Amphispiza bilineata | TE |
Chipping sparrow | Spizella passerina | DH, TE, EP, H |
Clay-coloured sparrow | S. pallida | TE, EP, H |
Worthen's sparrow | S. wortheni | TE |
Black-chinned sparrow | S. atrogularis | EP |
Vesper sparrow | Pooocetes gramineus | TE |
Lark sparrow | Chondestes grammacus | TE, H |
Lark bunting | Calamospiza melanochorys | TE |
Baird's sparrow | Ammodramus bairdii | TE |
Grasshopper sparrow | A. savannarum | TE |
Savannah sparrow | A. sandwichensis | LP |
Song sparrow | Melospiza melodia | TE |
Lincoln's sparrow | M. lincolnii | DH |
Yellow-eyed junco | Junco phaeonotus | BRL, EP, H, DH |
McCown's longspur | Calcarius mccownii | TE |
Red-winged blackbird | Agelaius phoeniceus | LP, EN, MZ |
Eastern meadowlark | Sturnella magna | LP |
Western meadowlark | S. neglecta | TE |
Melodious blackbird | Dives dives | EN |
Brewer's blackbird | Euphagus cyanocephalus | TE, EP |
Great-tailed grackle | Quiscalus mexicanus | Ubiquitous |
Bronzed cowbird | Molothrus aeneus | EN |
Brown-headed cowbird | M. ater | TE, EP |
Hooded oriole | Icterus cucullatus | LP, EN |
Black-vented oriole | I. wagleri | TE, EP |
Audubon's oriole | I. graduacauda | EN |
Streak-backed oriole | I. pustulatus | PR |
Altamira oriole | I. gularis | LP, EN |
Baltimore oriole | I. bullockii | EP |
Yellow-winged cacique | Cacicus melanicterus | PR, DH |
House finch | Carpodacus mexicanus | TE, H, MZ |
Red crossbill | Loxia curvirostra | DH |
Pine siskin | Carduelis pinus | EP, DH |
Black-headed siskin | C. notata | La Petaca road (DH) |
Lesser goldfinch | C. psaltria | PR, LP, EN |
House sparrow | Passer domesticus | Common in urban areas and around habitation |
Phil Benstead is a freelance birder based in the UK and is available to lead tours to Northern Mexico and the Yucatan.
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