Bird Conservation Region 43
Planicie
Costera, Lomeríos y Cañones de Occidente
This BCR extends from
eastern Sonora south to coastal Nayarit along the Pacific slope of the
Sierra Madre Occidental. Vegetation is mainly thorn scrubland, tropical
deciduous forest, and pine and oak forests, crossed by ribbons of riparian
vegetation. Mangroves and other wetlands are found near the coast. Cuenca
del Río Yaqui is a watershed IBA in southeastern Sonora having
a unique combination of tropical and subtropical ravines (barrancas) that
supports approximately 275 bird species, including Bare-throated Tiger-Heron,
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Military Macaw, Whitefronted Parrot, Whiskered
Screech-Owl, Northern Pygmy-Owl,Blue-throated and Costa’s Hummingbirds,
Strickland’s Woodpecker, Thick-billed Kingbird, Rose-throated Becard,
Blackcapped Gnatcatcher, Yellow-green Vireo, and Tropical Parula. Alamos–Río
Mayo is an IBA in southeastern Sonora and adjacent Chihuahua that is the
northern limit of tropical deciduous forests, with such key species as
the Lilac-crowned Parrot. San Juan de Camarones is a western Durango IBA
that includes the old-growth pine forest of the highlands and descends
along the typical Sierra Madre Occidental Pacific slope gradient of pine,
pine-oak, tropical deciduous, and semi-deciduous forests and desert shrublands.
Important species in this IBA include the Golden Eagle, Thickbilled Parrot,
and Eared Trogon. Southward in coastal Sinaloa lies the Ensenada Pabellones
IBA, a large coastal lagoon covered by mangroves and tule that provides
winter habitat for the Greater White-fronted Goose and important breeding
habitat for Brown Pelican, Osprey, and Magnificent Frigatebird. Bahía
Santa María in central Sinaloa is the most important wintering
site for Brant on the continental coast of Mexico. Also wintering here
are American
White and Brown Pelicans, Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, Northern
Shoveler, Redhead, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Greater White-fronted Goose,
Red-breasted Merganser, and Piping Plover.
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