Bird Conservation Region 47
Eje
Neovolcánico Transversal
The Tranverse Volcanic
Belt runs west to east through the states of Jalisco, Nayarit, Colima,
Guerrero, Michoacán, Guanajuato, Querétaro, Morelos, Hidalgo,
Distrito Federal, México, Tlaxcala, Puebla, and Veracruz. This
is an extensive volcanic mountain range that includes the highest elevations
in Mexico, including
the Pico de Orizaba in Veracruz (5,747 meters), Popocatépetl (5,452
meters) and Iztccíhuatl (5,146 meters) on the border between Puebla
and México, and Nevado de Colima (4,625 meters) on the Colima–Jalisco
border. This region separates the Central Plateau from the Balsas Basin
and is characterized by pine, pine-oak, and fir forests and temperate
grasslands. Valleys and basins amid this complex are sites for some of
the country’s largest cities, including la Ciudad de México,
Guadalajara, Toluca, and Morelia. La Malinche is an isolated mountain
and one of the oldest volcanoes in the Eje Neovolcánico. Vegetation
is primarily pine and pine-fir forests and grasslands. Endemic species
include Rufous-capped Brush-Finch, Red Warbler, Russet
Nightingale-Thrush, and Striped Sparrow. Volcanes Iztaccíhuatl
and Popocatépetl are located near la Ciudad de México within
the states of México, Puebla, and Morelos. Additional endemic species
here include the White-napped Swift, Long-tailed Wood-Partridge, Bumblebee
Hummingbird, Gray-barred Wren, Spotted
Wren, Rufous-backed Robin, Ocellated Thrasher, Blue Mockingbird, Hooded
Yellowthroat, Green-striped Brush-Finch, and Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrow.
Sierra de Taxco–Nevado de Toluca IBA, located in México and
adjacent Guerrero, includes a large area of well-preserved cloud forest.
Important birds here
include Solitary Eagle, Slaty Vireo, Spotted and Gray-barred Wrens, and
White-striped Woodcreeper. Sur del Valle de México is an IBA in
Distrito Federal and Morelos. Additional priority birds in this IBA include
the Stygian Owl, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Black-vented Oriole, Sierra Madre
Sparrow, and Aztec Thrush. Lago
de Cuitzeo IBA in Michoacán is covered by halophytic grasslands,
aquatic and subaquatic vegetation, and tropical deciduous forests. This
IBA contains one of the most important wetlands in central Mexico. Endemic
Black-polled Yellowthroats and threatened Dwarf Vireos and Least Bitterns
are found here.
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